And Death Was Framed
by Aubrieanna NeonBlack
Summary: In the wizarding world, prejudice is rampant. Aubrieanna is just trying to discover where she belongs in a class full of shifting loyalties, but when horrifying murders begin, Aubrieanna may be in more danger than she thought. MWPP and Lily, 5th year.
1. In Which We Look at a Photo

**Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, I would buy myself a computer that actually works.**

**Author's Note: This story will follow and original character FAR more than it will follow any of JKR's characters, if that's not your kettel of fish, don't get intrested in this story.**

A large black crow flew past the ancient house's upper window and landed on a perpendicular electrical wire. Its large glassy eyes reflected the picture of the girl on the other side of the glass, lying on the floor breathing shallowly.

_You didn't think this would be easy, did you? _She scolded herself. _No, _she argued,_ but I did expect to be able to breathe._

It was true that the air of London, made thick with many seasons' fog and many factories' pollutants, was obstructing her lungs as she attempted to take a deep enough breath to clear her head. The fact that she badly needed something to drink, and not the London water, didn't help either. Downstairs the clanging of iron skillets and the shouting of two angry voices, no, one angry and one disappointed voice was making the floorboards under her head wobble. Slowly, she got to her feet and began to look through the trunk.

Already she had unpacked the once stiff and glistening leather coat that now was worn and soft, and hung it on a nail that had been sticking out of the wall. She set a photograph on the beam to the left of the coat and looked at it forlornly. Three members of her family stood on top of a crumbling boulder. The oldest had dark hair with two contrasting streaks of white that framed her face, and eyes already becoming accustomed to the prospect of death. Had her mother already been ageing prematurely under stress so long ago? The middle was still healing from an attack and had a slightly bloodied sling around her right arm. Who had attacked her? Had it been the government in its crumbling seat of power, still, at that time at least, fighting the House of Death, or someone on both the eldest's and the youngest's side who had seen through her perfect act?

The youngest's hand had been holding a flower at the moment the picture was taken. The black petals stood out against the brownish hair and the skin that might have been gold if it had been shown to the sun long enough to give the face color. The eyes that boldly observed the world were a wild almost-brown, not-quite-blue, expressing more joy even that the joyful motions that the jubluent child was going through.

Placing the photograph face down on the beam, the girl once again dropped herself to the floor. She hadn't found a mirror yet in her new room, no, her new cell, so she couldn't be certain, but she felt her body had changed. Not her brownish hair, not her body that was used still to wild, if not jublulent movement, not her skin that was still a sickly pale, but her eyes. They were not the eyes of a happy child anymore, but were eyes that mirrored the expression that had once belonged to her mother, the eyes that knew about death.

Slowly she dragged herself over to the chest. Two memory filled items down, the rest of a trunk full to go. Her hands quickly found the envelope that contained the letter that was trapping her here, the letter that had summoned her to another dimension, the letter that was currently forcing her headmaster-to-be persuade her father to keep her here.

She took one look at the Hogwarts seal and flung it to an unexplored corner of her cell. The motion pulled the skin that covered the healing gashes that went the length of her arms. She continued unpacking, taking a break to attempt to catch her breath now and again. When she was about halfway through the trunk she opened the guitar case that had been laying beside her trunk and started to idley pick out a tune. Slowly the tune took on a familar melody that had sad, mornful lyrics in an language more familiar to the girl than English.

She sang until she was once again gasping for breath on the attic floor.

She followed exactly six steps behind the rest of the "family", one father who might as well been a stranger and one half brother, emphasis on the half, that proudly sported his new Slytherin badge. She had followed behind them all through Diagon Alley, paying for the mostly used purchases with money granted to her by the school's scholarship, program. Going through the barrier to platform 9 3/4 was no different. Now she was ready to start to lead again. She pulled her old leather jacket closer to her bruised frame and walked towards the monstrous red machine before her. The smog coming out of its smoked stack was continuing to choke her. She longed for a drink, a real drink that would clear her throat and stop her mind from spinning.

_And to think that I denied that that damned drink was addictive._

The sign of the beastly machine read _Hogwarts Express, _and boarding early had allowed her to get a compartment far in the back, one with a door that both stuck and locked, both of which she used as an effort to discourage any one who might plan on socialization.

Once she had successfully shoved her trunk into the overhead compartment she waited patiently for the train to start moving. As loud crowds of students boarded the train, a few tried the door to her compartment before moving on. It was as the stream of students clambering to find a compartment slowed to a trickle that a voice outside the door spoke.

"Alohamora." it said calmly as he once again tried the latch to the compartment.

She turned her face to the window, feeling the glass spread its cool fingers across her skin. The reflection in the glass showed the fuzzy outline of three boys, appearing to be about her age, and she was close to 15. The distorted glass didn't show a clear image of their faces, but she could feel three pairs of eyes stare at her in disbelief.

"You're in our compartment." the one with the scraggly brown hair said.

"Very astute." she replied, still not facing them.

The taller one, or at least he would have been taller if he was standing up straight, ignored her and sat down on the seat across from her. The two others followed his lead and began talking about "Quid-witch".

_Stupid name for a sport._ she thought to herself, but she played attention to the conversation in an attempt to learn something of the three friends. They were in sixth year, one year ahead of herself, and kept complaining about arithmancy.

_Damn, and I signed up for that._

Finally, one who would have been the tallest turned to face her.

"Do you play the guitar?"

He had been looking up at the guitar case that had been sitting on top of her trunk.

"I try." she stated simply.

"You try to play the guitar?" he attempted to clarify.

"Yes."

There was an uncomfortable silence as everyone in the compartment looked in the direction of, but not at, her.

Finally, one that would have been the tallest nearly shouted, "Who _are_ you?"

She turned to face them and attempted a 'stay back, I bite' smile.

"Aubrieanna De'Muertas, and you?"

"Miguel Johnson." he said, meeting her gaze and giving her a 'I do too' smile.

By the time the snack trolley came, advertising brightly wrapped packages of things like 'Bogart Bon Bons' and 'Troll Tarts', Aubrieanna was reluctantly discussing music with her new acquaintances. As it turned out, both Miguel and Richard, the boy with the brown hair, played instruments. The third boy, first name Mundungus, second name Fletcher, who preferred to be called Dung, couldn't play a song to save his life. Supposedly, though, he was going to be a 'musical manager'.

"It's for the money." he stated simply while Aubrieanna took out her guitar to show Miguel the 'cheater's' F-chord.

Just as Miguel was taking out his bass to show off a song he had written over the summer, a loud explosion took place a few compartments back.

"And that," said Dung, with his mouth full of the Cockroach Crunchies that he had bought off of the snack trolley witch, "is why you don't mix Combustible Crisps with the Mauraders."

A large commotion was going on outside of the compartment as people tried to escape the effects of the explosion. In a few minutes, all but a few of the students had returned to their seats. The few that hadn't, however, were loitering outside of Aubrieanna's compartment. Loud voices, belonging to four different owners, were laughing at the chaos that they had apparently set into order.

"I thought that I told you never to mix acids with Combustible Crisps, Peter. The look on your face..."

"Yeah, that was brilliant. Where'd you get those pop rocks anyway, Remus? They don't sell those in Diagon Alley."

"It's a muggle candy, James. My dad loves them. Put some in Mum's drink once, it nearly gave her a heart attack."

"I sympathize with your mum, Remus,. having exploding fire balls jump out of my stomach didn't do anything good to my heart either."

"Oh come on Peter, it was just a joke."

"Tell that one to the charred remains of the carpet in our compartment."

Across from Aubrieanna, a wicked smile began to spread over Dung's face. Narrowing his eyes he took out his wand.

"Glaciarto." he whispered.

Outside, one of the voices began to cough. "Remus, my Caldron Cake's all cold and hard and stuff."

"Do you mean your Caldron Cake is _frozen_ Sirius..."

"_No_... Possibly... You're probably right..."

"I _am_ right, Sirius. I'm always right, you should know that by now."

"You are not always right." the voice whose Caldron Cake had frozen began. "Once, in potions, Slughorn asked you how much nettles to put into a pain killing drought, and you said." The voice was cut off as the door to the compartment was opened by a pale, brown haired boy with a gash on the palm of his hand.

"Sirius," the brown haired boy said dryly, "it's how many nettles, and it was Mundungus who froze your food, you idiot."

The boy he had address, Sirius, looked bemused for half a second before he chucked the frozen cake and Mundungus's head.

"Hey, what was that for? I never did nothing to you..."

"Hmmm... I distinctly remember and incident with paper cuts and acidic band-aids, Dung..."

"Shut-up, James, nobody cares." Mundungus said good naturedly, throwing the frozen sweet at James's head. James sent a spell to deflect it, resulting in the Cauldron Cake falling into Aubrieanna's lap. She scowled, breaking the sandwich in two and throwing one half at Mundungus and the other at 'James'.

"Hey, Dung, there's a girl in the compartment." 'Sirius' said loudly.

"Well spotted moron." Miguel replied.

"What's her name?" 'James' asked Miguel.

"If your asking about _My_ name," Aubrieanna said, glaring at the intruders and attempting to wipe frozen Caldron Cake off of her guitar, "Perhaps you should ask _me_."

There was a pause.

"Well..." 'Remus' asked.

"What?" Aubrieanna spat back.

"What's her name?" 'Sirius' asked Richard.

Aubrieanna reached into her guitar case and pulled a metallic orb out of an internal pocket. Placing head phones into her ears, she began mouthing words the to music that was now playing for her ears alone. The rest of the compartment went back to chucking the cake at each other.

Shaking her head, Aubrieanna resumed her vigil of the world outside of her window.


	2. In Which We Wear the Filthy Hat

As the sun faded in the sky, the view from the train window became drenched in a blue haze. Aubrieanna's music that was being played loudly enough to drown out he own heartbeat could not silence the antics of the seven boys sitting next to her. Mundungus had been attempting to teach them a card game that involved chips. British cuisine keeps getting weirder and weirder. As the train approached an immense glossy-blue lake (of course, everything seemed blue during twilight) Aubrieanna lurched forward in her seat as the vehicle, which had been slowing down for a few minutes now, finally pulled to a stop.

The four boys who had invaded the train compartment left, leaving Aubrieanna with Miguel, Mundungus, and Richard as they forced all of their belongings. Stashing her music-making device inside her coat pocket, Aubrieanna followed the boys out of the train to a cobblestone road. The humidity of the afternoon hadn't left the atmosphere completely, causing the scenery around Aubrieanna to blur as she struggled to breathe evenly. The cobblestone road winded through a small village, around the lake, and up to what Aubrieanna assumed was the castle. Huge towers loomed over the main parts of the building, creating large internal courtyards that were surrounded by arches on all sides. The ancient stones of the castle's foundation were playing host to various forms of vegetation; mostly what appeared to be mosses and ivies.

_It almost reminds me of home. _Aubrieanna thought as a bittersweet smile peeked through her stony masks._ It only needs a little weaponry, a few demons, and angry mob or two... _Shaking her head and turning to follow the crowd, Aubrieanna heard a deep voice behind her, calling all of the first year students towards the lake.

_Poor kids, she thought without much sympathy, I hope they don't have to swim across. Although as hot as it is, they might be the lucky ones..._

Continuing in her path down the cobblestone road, Aubrieanna began to see the tops of white carriages. As she got closer, the animals that were pulling the carriages came into full view. Aubrieanna was transfixed. While the other students walked right past the creatures, much like muggles passing the leaky cauldron, Aubrieanna studied the horrible, beautiful creatures out of the corner of her eye. They were black, not an absolute black but an eternal, entrancing black. Two wings sprouted out of their skeletal forms at such odd angles that it seemed they were broken. In fact, Aubrieanna believed them all to be broken until one flapped its wings violently, blowing hot, humid air into Aubrieanna's face. They seemed destructively wild, not proud, not powerful like a storm or a tornado, but like a glass knife, something that could be killed as easily as it could kill. Approaching one, Aubrieanna got close enough that when the wind blew, a bit of the mane lightly traced the features of her face. Looking into the beast's eyes, a dull, wispy reflection of herself could barely be made out.

Suddenly she felt someone grab her arm and start to drag her to the carriage. Spinning around, she found Miguel at her side.

"Self propelled carriages, brilliant isn't it? I heard that Dumbledore put the spell on them himself. Of course that was told to me by Dung so a few crucial truths might be missing..."

As the two pulled themselves into the carriage, they found that Richard, and the source in question were both sitting they're discussing their Head of House, Professor Slughorn.

"I hope he's not Deputy Headmaster again this year, just when I thought that he couldn't get any more full of himself, Dumbledore just has to give him a promotion."

"Yeah, but it will be funny to hear him read the names for the sorting. Think about it, 'Oh, my dear, wasn't your great-uncle twice removed a head minister, that was all my doing.' and 'My, my, I always knew your father would become a famous author, inspired him as a lad I did'..."

"Oh shut it you two." Miguel said.

"Oh, we forgot, Sluggy likes you, doesn't he. Thinks you'll show your father's brilliance in government, doesn't he." Dung replied.

"Completely beside the point." Miguel said hastily, but, of course, it wasn't. Eager to change the subject, Miguel turned to face Aubrieanna.

"So, where do you come from?" He asked in a curious manner.

"Nowhere." Aubrieanna said pointedly.

"Oh, come off of it, everyone comes from somewhere, and don't say that you've been at Hogwarts all of this time. Neither we nor the Marauders know you, so either you can turn invisible or..."

"Denmark." Aubrieanna said.

"You come from Denmark? You don't sound Swedish." Richard remarked.

"Denmark, California." Aubrieanna replied.

"Do you gamble often?" Mundungus asked.

"Not really..." Aubrieanna made a mental note to make sure she looked up gambling in her English/Runic dictionary.

Surprisingly, after they had got the answer, the boys dropped the subject. _Now which of us is stupider, Aubrieanna pondered, me for making the lie, or them for believing it?_

The carriages continued on their journey towards the castle. Occasionally, Aubrieanna could catch a glimpse of one of the creatures shaking its head or spreading its wings. Once to carriages pulled up to the castle, the side doors sprung open, beckoning the student to go through the intricately carved oak door. Aubrieanna quickly separated herself from the rest of the crowd and, when the iron latches on the great doors opened, she lingered outside of the castle as the other students flooded into the entrance hall.

Stepping form behind the stonework that had concealed her, Aubrieanna looked out onto the Hogwarts grounds. She could see the horse-like creatures flying free of their carriages and going towards a dense forest behind the castle. A tree appeared to be swaying in the non-existent wind.

_So, is this a prison or a paradise? _She asked herself. She exhaled deeply and began to turn to go inside the castle. She was just about to turn inside to follow the flood of bolstrus students into the great hall when she felt a strong, bony hand on her shoulder. Turning around rapidly, Aubrieanna bent her knees and raised her arms, ready for a fight. When she saw the face of her attacker, she was rather taken aback.

A witch, probably in her sixties, was looking down at Aubrieanna. The woman was rather tall, and the flowing green velvet robes that covered almost every inch of her skin accented the fact. Aubrieanna relaxed slightly, the woman was obviously not prepared to fight.

"I would like to remind you, Miss Aubrieanna, that promptness is an attribute we expect our students to have. Please step inside so we can sort you into a house before the first years need the hat." The lady in green said.

_Hello Madame Gerly. _Aubrieanna thought, recalling one of her more uptight teachers at the Institution. For a dance teacher that had put so much emphasis on portraying feeling in your movements, Madame Gerly had never been one to smile or smirk. She might break your ankles with her walking stick, but she would do so with an emotionless reserve.

"Now, I am sure that the Headmaster and your mother have made certain that you are prepared for your fifth year of magical schooling," the witch said. "But they might have neglected to go over some of the rules. You are to be in your common room at curfew. Any rule breaking that you participate in will lose you house points, and every house is competing to have the highest amount of house points in the school. Magic is not to be used against other students in the corridors and _your_ magic is not to be used at any time during the year." At the last bit she a spun around to look Aubrieanna directly in the eyes. "That," she continued, "is not only a school law but also one of the regulations the Ministry expects you to follow."

The two walked inside the entrance hall, where candles were illuminating the surroundings. The witch produced a filth-ridden tattered hat and turn around to face Aubrieanna.

"Now for the sorting, please..." The woman looked Aubrieanna up and down in shock. "_What_ are you wearing?"

Aubrieanna looked at her clothes. She could find plenty of things that she didn't like about them, they weren't black for one. The vest and the collared shirt rubbed against her neck in an uncomfortable manner. The shoes were clunky and heavy. Regardless, Aubrieanna had followed the dress code to a T, right down to the too baggy..."

"_Pants_! You bought a uniform with pants? Did no one inform you that you were to wear a _skirt _with your uniform what on earth..."

"I have_ a _skirt for the uniform."

"Oh thank Heaven. Why didn't you wear it?"

"Because I had _a_ skirt and two pairs of pants."

The witch, and Aubrieanna considered her a witch in all senses of the word, took a deep breath in order to compose herself. Then, she shook out the old hat and handed it to Aubrieanna.

"Put this on please, and wait to be sorted."

Eyeing the hat with disgust, it looked like it had been made centuries ago, Aubrieanna reluctantly placed the hat on her head.

_No need to worry, I am a ninety-eight percent louse free._ Said a voice inside Aubrieanna's head. _Well, I suppose I should be honored to be able to decide the fate of one of the members of the great House of Death. Hmmm... Where to put you. You rebels are always irritatingly loyal to your causes, if not to each other, and the are equally ambitious that their goals succeed. You are a bit of a reluctant leader though, aren't you? And not all that loyal to the last living member of your own family... I can see you're clever, you'll have to be to make it to where you want to go... Perhaps we have a Ravenclaw. Ah, but here it is... You came here for your cause, not to run away, didn't you? And if that's the case then surely you are a..."_

"Gryffindor!" The hat said softly. The witch blinked irritably.

"Well done, you have been sorted into my house." She said stiffly. "Join you housemate at the second table from the left please, I'm sure you can find it on your own, I have to get this hat back to professor Slughorn."

With that, the witch left Aubrieanna on her own.


	3. In Which We Eat at a Red Table

Chapter 3

**Authors Note: I would like to thank and appoligize to my reviewers, as well as welcome any flames. I'm worring about how intresting the story is to readers, as well as looking for tips on writing summerys. Thanks**

Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, I would buy a computer that actually works.

There were a few stragglers that were still wandering though the halls, trying to delay the starting of term by reaching the Great Hall as slowly as possible. Aubrieanna silently debated on whether it would be safer to follow a group of students or just follow the laughter that was echoing off of the stone walls. After catching a glance at two students who where trapped between floors on a moving staircase, Aubrieanna decided that she would be just as likely to find the hall if she relied on her own ears as if she trailed another person.

Sure enough, Aubrieanna quickly determined the location of the hall and entered though the grandly carved wooden doors.

The witch said the second table to the left. Thought Aubrieanna as she remembered the lady who had 'sorted' her. The mere fact that the witch had said it made Aubrieanna want to sit at a different table, but instead she walked unobtrusively to her designated table.

The hall was decorated in four colors, yellow, blue green and red. Presumably these were the colors of the four Hogwarts houses. Aubrieanna's table was drenched in red. The table runner, the napkins, the overhead-banners, the seat cushions, and the stones implanted in the table settings were all a rich scarlet color. From Aubrieanna's seat, she could see what she immediately thought of as the two categories of Gryffindors, the loud and the louder.

To her left was a crowd that appeared to be surrounding a small group of students that were apparently telling a hilarious story as, at regular intervals, would start to laugh uproariously. Many younger students were pushed to the fringes of this group as the middle seemed to be made up of the oldest students.

On her right, Aubrieanna clearly observe the smaller group of students. Many of them had metallic badges that proclaimed 'Prefect', and one had a badge declaring 'Head Boy'. Every now and then, one of these students would turn and give the larger group a mostly venomous, slightly envious glare. These were the 'louder' students. They were the students who would happily glide along until they were aroused, and then, all hell would break loose.

It was Aubrieanna's luck that she sat directly between the two student bodies. On one side was what looked to be a short little twelve year old whose tag on the back of his robe proclaimed 'Rupert Sinders', and every time that he would laugh, the tag would pop out a little farther from the back of his robes. He was a rather pathetic looking creature, so Aubrieanna turned to observe the people on her right.

The girl who was sitting beside her was twisting her fingers in her copper-colored hair as she complained about various students to the boy who was wearing the 'Head Boy' badge who was sitting in front of her.

"Honestly, Potter can be so terrible sometimes, and Black is just as bad. I hope neither one of them is made a prefect."

"Hate to break it to you Lily," Mr. 'Head Boy' replied, "but seeing as no one showed up for the place of the other fifth year prefect, it very well could be one of them."

"I know that Dumbledore doesn't have all that many good students to pick from, but if it's Black or Potter, so help me, I'll..."

At that very moment, a side door swung open, revealing a procession of young students to be. A large teacher, who look like he'd seen a few too many after-dinner deserts, was leading them, carrying a stool as well as the grimy hat that Aubrieanna had been forced to wear only moments before. Sneering at all of the little midgets as they walked by, Aubrieanna wasn't aware of the word the teacher had been speaking, until the hat ripped at a seam, shaking dust off of the brim as it did so an began to sing.

_Oh, me I am the sorting hat_

_I'm much more old than you._

_And yet I still can do these things_

_that you will never do._

_I have a special job, you see,_

_to poke around your mind_

_to sort through each and every thought,_

_to place each with their kind._

_And every year that has come in_

_and every year gone out,_

_I have set them with their peers_

_by what they think about._

_Dear Hufflepuffs are loyal,_

_There many can find friends._

_Good Slytherins are focused,_

_but only on their ends._

_Strong Gryffindors won't shy_

_From duty or from fight._

_Our Ravenclaws think clearly,_

_for in their thoughts lie might._

_So come to me young children,_

_and set me on your brow._

_Do think good thoughts, for no one knows_

_the consequence of now._

Aubrieanna wanted to laugh at the look on some of the new students faces. All that the hat had said seemed to make more sense since it had recited its poem. To be honest, Aubrieanna longed to put it to song. Dreaming up a melody, she ignored the rest of the sorting ceremony.

Finally, just as Michael, Yorkson had been sorted, Aubrieanna was pulling a melody together. However, as soon as the Headmaster got up to speak, all her ideas were driven out of her mind.

"Good evening, my young witches and wizards. A very exciting and, dare I say, educational year is before you, but first, eat."

With that last remark, a huge spread of food appeared in front of the students. All of it was so painstakingly arranged to show the angle at which it would look the most appetizing, Aubrieanna almost felt sorry when the students began to demolish the feast. Taking a small helping of chicken-pot-pie and some spinach salad, Aubrieanna continued her observation of the school.

Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts, had been a friend of her mother's since before the Ovalonian-English clash. Apparently, her wanting to discuss a treaty with him had been the _cause_ of the Ovalonian-English clash. It had been only one or two battles really, hardly anything to be upset about, but the English people had taken great offence to it. It was dangerous to be an Ovalonian and be here. Aubrieanna herself had been required to come alone and unarmed and _still_ the few government officials that new she was here had treated her like she could be the source of all things evil.

With these thoughts running though her head, she was surprised when the red-headed 'Lily' turn to talk to her.

"Could you pass the salt, please?" she asked rather distracted. When Aubrieanna passed her the spice the girl got her first good look at her.

"Oh, hello. You're new here, aren't you? How stupid of me not to notice." She said, the words rushing right on top of each other. "I'm Lily Evans, and this is Nathan Braddock." she said gesturing at the 'Headboy' across from her.

"Aubrieanna De'Muertas." Aubrieanna replied, extending a hand.

"So, _are_, you new here, our are you not in our year? You certainly look like a fifth year, but I never was good at guessing age. I guessed my twenty-year-old cousin was thirty-eight once, wasn't that a nightmare."

Aubrieanna nodded politely. "Yeah, I'm new. I was transferred."

"Really, from where?" Nathan asked.

"Denmark, California." Aubrieanna replied, keeping a straight face even as she was inwardly laughing at the boys in the carriage.

"That's intresting." Lily said in a tone that suggested she was trying to place Denmark, California in her mind.

"It's a small town," Aubrieanna said to her, "Don't bother."

Lily looked at her like she had read her mind, shrugged and went back to eating and asking questions.

By the time that the meal was done, Aubrieanna had learned Lily's favorite color, (violet), her pet's name, (Angus, her was a Scottish terrier), her least favorite condament (manyonaise, Aubrieanna had to concur) and her favorite class (Charms). While Aubrieanna had found out encyclopideas worth of information on Lily Evans, she felt confidant that Lily Evans knew nothing pertanent about her. This was good. If she could collect information about other people without them collecting information about her, she held a lower risk of any number of things being discovered. Over dessert, Lily became esstatic when she found out that Aubrieanna was indeed in her year.

"I'm so glad!" she exclaimed. "I had the rottenest luck. The year I came to Hogwarts, only _one _girl was sorted into Gryffindor, seven in Ravenclaw, mind you, but not one other in Gryffindor. I've always either had to pair up with one of the guys, nothing wrong with that," she said nodding to Nathan, "or I've been put with the older girls who aren't bright enough for the harder courses. It's _terrible_." she ended dramatically.

Thankfully, Aubrieanna was saved from having to think up a diplomatic reply by the Headmaster.

"Attention my dear, and hopefully full, students. I hope to remind you that, starting tonight and continuing throughout the year, certain rules will be in effect. First, as you all know by now, the Forbidden Forest is just that, forbidden. Secondly, the Whomping Willow outside the castle is not to be tampered or taunted with. Thirdly, magic is not to be used in the halls, and it is_ never_ to be used against another student. For additional rules as well as a complete list of banned items, I would encourage you to look at the door of the office of Mr. Flich. I wish you all the most pleasant of rests and of school year, goodnight."

And with that the entire student body flooded into the corridors of Hogwarts, seeking their dorms and dorm mates.


	4. In Which We Go to Class

**Authors Note: I always hate it when authors beg for reviews, however I would like to know whether or not anyone is actually enjoying my story. The lack of reviews says that I am boring you all to death, however according to my profile's hit list (ha ha, puns all around) I do have a few non-zombie readers. Please, don't make me add you to my hit list, and I'm not talking about the one that keeps track of how many people read this either.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, I would buy a computer that actually works.**

When Aubrieanna woke up the next morning in a strange bed surrounded by thick, red curtains, it was all she could do to stop herself from tearing the place apart with her bare hands. Even while her instincts were panicking, however, Aubrieanna's training was forcing her to calmly assess the situation.

Calmly was the key word in that sentence.

It took Aubrieanna more than a few seconds to remember that she was no longer at her home in Ovanlon. Once that fact was established, her memories began to once again fall into place. She was in a dorm room that she shared with another girl named Lily. Today would be her first day of school at Hogwarts.

School, what a brilliant invention. Aubrieanna thought with venom as she checked the time. Her watch, hardly recognizable by any wizardly standards what with the extra hands and multitude of levers, as well as a few calculations told her that is was six a.m., Hogsmede time.

Classes didn't start until eight.

She weighed the possibility of going back to sleep, but realizing that her efforts would be wasted she rummaged through her trunk to lay out some clothes. After a long, hot shower and dressing, Aubrieanna started checking to see whether the other girl was up yet. At seven, by which time she had fully prepared for the day, she decided to wake up the Lily girl.

Deciding that a long distance attack might be best, Aubrieanna picked up her pillow and threw it at the girl. It hit the target dead on, however did not have the expected results. Three consecutive pillow peltings later, Aubrieanna was surprised to have a missile directed back at her.

Only this missile wasn't a soft pillow.

Having succeeded in ducking the book that was thrown at her Aubrieanna shouted the time, seven fifteen. Lily shot straight up, displaying none of the exhaustion that had been evident a few minutes ago, and bolted for the showers.

With her good deed of the day done, Aubrieanna left for the Great Hall. She was helping herself to a serving of a fruit salad as well as a few slices of toast when the professor in the green began passing out schedules. Today promised to be a dreary day as she had a double period of Herbology in addition to an Arithmancy and a Potions class. Watching the other students as they voiced their complaints about the schedules, Aubrieanna was taken by surprise when Lily sat down across from her, slightly winded from hurrying to the Great Hall in order to get breakfast. Around Lily's second egg, she began to thank Aubrieanna.

"Thanks for that, waking me up I mean." Lily said between bites. "I always forget that the alarm on my watch doesn't work here. Too much magical energy for that." She began buttering some bread to go with the eggs. "How did you get up? I didn't hear your alarm go off. Mind you, I can be a bit of a deep sleeper so..." Lily's train of thought was interrupted by having her schedule thrust into her face. She studied it intently.

"I swear," she said, a frown forming on her face, "Every year they work to give me the worst Monday ever. Herbology first and Divination right after that. Potions is alright, I suppose..."

Aubrieanna mentally compared Lily's schedule to her own. They would be having both Herbology and Potions together. The school presumably scheduled by houses, so they would probably be together for most of their classes. One part of Aubrieanna was irritated. It seemed that Lily talked too much and contemplated too little. At the same time, however, she realized that Lily was one of the few people in the school who knew her, so it wouldn't do to cut ties just yet.

While considering all of this, Aubrieanna came to another conclusion, she would have no clue where any of her classes were. Lily would be able to take her to at least one, but finding the other two would be difficult. Lily was still talking amiably when the two got up to go to Herebology. Aubrieanna paid a minimal amount of attention to the conversation as she was trying to orient herself to her new surroundings. She was forced to pay attention in Herbology though, Dumbledore had insisted upon having her read up in all of the subjects. In all honesty, she had probably gotten far past a typical seventh year's knowledge of magical theory and history. Finding a wand to perform spells with had been difficult, but she had been able to create her own. Smuggling the ingredients and plants that would have been necessary to fully comprehend Herbology and Potions to Ovalon would have been next to impossible.

Of course, it was just her luck to have both of those courses in one day.

Their Herbology teacher was a cheerful, if reserved, witch by the name of Professor Kurn who, half-way through the class, started to fuss over a wilting blossom and left the class to their own devices. Aubrieanna, who had been seated next to Lily not by choice but by alphabetical order, soon found a group of students who were headed to Arithmancy next and followed them through the corridors to the Arithmancy classroom.

Aubrieanna soon became aware that she had surpassed the expectations of the teacher when she was nine. While most wizard plants were illegal in her realm, Arithmancy was commonly used in any Ovalonian magics, math, or science. As the students had been allowed to choose their own seats Aubrieanna had made a bee-line form the back of the room where she was seated by boy that she had met on the train. Not Miguel, Richard or Mundungus, but Remus Lupin.

The teacher passed out a pop quiz. Aubrieanna's paper had a side note on it: 'Do not worry, in the event that you don't understand this, you may come to a remedial course for the third years.' She didn't know whether to be insulted or amused. However, the look at the teacher's face when she handed him the first completed copy and succeeded in getting a perfect score, made her cheerful enough to stop glaring sullenly at the blackboard.

The boy beside her, Remus Lupin turned in his quiz fairly soon after she did, but not before checking his answers over three times. When he got back, he wrote something on a piece of scrap paper that he had been using. He proceed to shove the paper to her side of the desk.

So, is your name really Aubrieanna, or wouldn't you tell Mundungus and them either?

She wrote back an annoyed 'Yes my name is Aubrieanna.'

And have my friends succeed in annoying you before term has even really started?

'Most defiantly.'

Remus chuckled. _I apologize for their behavior, for what that's worth._

'Not much.' A smirk was forming of Aubrieanna's lips.

What's your next class?

'Potions.'

Ug. Glad I can give that class up next year.

'Do you know where it is?'

So you are a new student then.

'Obviously.'

Where from?

'Formerly Denmark, California'

That's an odd name.

'Yeah,' She thought up a lie fast. 'It was founded by Denmarkians.'

That's not a word

She shrugged, eager to change the subject. 'You never told me where Potions was.'

At that point the bell rang.

"It's my next class too, follow me."

It didn't take Aubrieanna much time to realize that if she needed to catch up in any of her subjects, Remus Lupin would be an excellent person to ask for help. When she reached what Remus told her was the entrance to the dungeons however, Lily came up and started talking to the two of them.

"Hi Remus, Hi Aubrieanna, how was Arithmancy?" Lily said.

"Snooze worthy." Aubrieanna replied.

"It seems that you and Aubrieanna have at least one thing in common."

"What's that?" both of the girls asked.

"An instant dislike to the Marauders."

Lily frowned. "She must be rather intelligent then."

"Or completely crazy." Remus retorted.

"Or standing right beside you so there's no need to talk about her in third person." Said Aubrieanna.

Fairly soon, Aubrieanna was herded into the classroom and took a seat beside Lily.

Between the two of them, well, mostly Lily, they managed to brew a simple sleeping potion while Professor Slughorn gushed over choice student in their class. Aubrieanna had a strong urge to stuff the teacher in a closet and come back for him a few months later, but she managed to with strain herself until the bell. Her first (hellish) day of classes were over.

Lily was ecstatic at finally having a dorm mate. As such, she found it her sacred duty to take Aubrieanna on a monstrous tour of the castle before supper. After a few hours of walking and talking to Lily, Aubrieanna had almost reached her maximum cheerfulness exposer limit. It was quite a relief when they went down to dinner and Lily couldn't talk around all of the shepherd's pie in her mouth. Despite some of Lily's annoying tendencies, she was fairly intelligent. At the very least, she worked hard. Unfortunately, right now she was working very hard on Aubrieanna's nerves.

Eventually, Aubrieanna was able to get to sleep. While her body was restless, it had already went two days without a decent exercise, her mind had begun to shut down before she had completed brushing her teeth. It was a rare, dreamless night's sleep that enveloped her before her head hit the pillow.


	5. In Which We Make a Bet

Author's Note: Well, a few of you were saved from my hit list... Oh, and I know who Dorcas Meadows is Megan and, as such, she's in the chapter. And I'm sorry if you don't like the long Quidditch commentary, it was just so unbelievably fun to write, I couldn't stop myself.

Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, I'd buy myself a computer that actually works.

The first few weeks went as smoothly as the first day. As predicted, Aubrieanna was far behind in potions and Herbology, but Lily would often bail her out. Quid pro Quo, Aubrieanna would bail Lily out in Runes. The girl had become much more tolerable when she had figured out that Aubrieanna did not want her to be a best friend. To Aubrieanna, Lily was a person whose presence she could tolerate and who she was required to see as a fellow student and Gryffindor. Lily did still talk to her frequently though, and, though Aubrieanna was loathe to admit it, the endless chatter had improved her English to the point where she no longer felt anxious that she would say the completely wrong thing when speaking to a stranger.

While Aubrieanna was speaking in English all day, her dreams were still in Runic and were still keeping her awake at night. Black fires and dead faces surrounded her, causing her to go to bed late and get up early. It was getting to the point that it was easier for her to take small naps between classes than to fight her way through her dream-filled sleeps. Of course, this was nothing new.

One night, when Aubrieanna was camped out in the common room waiting for classes to begin, she had already showered and dressed, and was working on an arithmancy project, she had the urge to get out her guitar. It hadn't been hard to sneak it our of the dormitory, Lily slept like a log between 11 and 6. Once it was down in the common room, she started to play the instrument very quietly.

At first she would stop the string's vibrations every few minutes and listen carefully for the sound of footsteps. The closer it came to dawn, however, the louder she began to play, forgetting about waiting to hear the steps of disturb housemates. She had not played anything in a few weeks, and even though the guitar was not usually her instrument of choice, she was as connected to it then as much as she ever had when playing her piano. Eventually, raspy singing came from her throat, the sound melting together with the chords she was playing at a rapid pace. The more her voice warmed up, the louder it got, until she was, for the first time since August, truly and wholly singing. The sky outside of the castle was already fading from it's deep midnight blue to a softer violet when she heard the noises behind her.

She did not dignify her observers by stopping in the middle of her song, but continued to play until the end. Then, slowly and deliberately turning around to whoever was behind her, she saw four sets of eyes that were betraying that their owners were more than impressed with her music. One was clapping.

"Stop the applause, Pettigrew," Aubrieanna snapped, "There's no need to wake the entire building." The boy stopped immediately.

Bending over to put the guitar into the case, Aubrieanna could hear two of the other boys, Black and Potter, whisper to each other. Finally, Black approached her, trade mark smirk on his face.

"You are extremely talented Miss..."

"You know my name, Black."

"Right then Aubrieanna. Say, can I call you Annie for short, your name is _such_ a mouthful."

Aubrieanna watched him, wanting to laugh. He was actually batting his eyelashes. She snorted. "My name is well suited to me, unlike yours, _Sirius_."

"Ha, ha and it's only been the eightieth time I've heard that one _Annie. _Now, can I ask you a simple question without getting my head bit off?"

"Certainly. I would never eat your head. Hollow foods are never filling enough."

He glared. "It's an expression." he said distastefully. "Regardless, as you, being new and all may or may not know, the Gryffindor Quidditch team is playing Hufflepuff next Saturday. When we win..."

"If." Aubrieanna interrupted.

"When we win," he continued as if he hadn't been interrupted, "There will be a party, always is. James takes care of winning the game, I take care of the food and the decorations and the music." he looked at her pointedly. "Here is where you say you'd love to play your guitar and sign a few songs and I say, well, wouldn't that be perfect."

"No, Black, here's where I say Gryffindor won't win and that I won't play my guitar for a party that doesn't exist." Aubrieanna retaliated stubbornly. The two glared at each other for a good minute until James spoke up.

"Well Aubrieanna, you seem confident that Gryffindor won't win. Want to make a bet on it then?" he said amazingly cheerful considering Aubrieanna was debating on whether throwing him in the fire would be considered self-preservation from stupidity or not.

"Not really." she replied coolly.

"Not even if the bet involved us letting you verbally insult and physically abuse Sirius for an entire day?" James asked, ignoring the 'I _will_ kill you' look that he was receiving from Sirius.

"Maybe then..." she admitted.

"All you have to do is shake my hand and say that if Gryffindor wins you will play and sing any songs of your choice for the party. Not even for the entire party, just the first little bit."

She was weighing the possibilities in her head. Music was the one and only skill that she had that she really loved. Back home she had always played for people. She had been in a school for three and a half years just so that she could learn to perfect her skills. Really, she should be leaping at this chance.

At the same time, the fact that she should say yes stopped her. By any logic, she shouldn't be here. She should still be at home, still mourning. Really, the joy she had felt when playing the guitar shouldn't have happened. She at once wished that the calluses on her hands had not formed and that the guitar strings had caused her hands to bleed. And anyway, she was supposed to be keeping a low-profile. Playing songs for the fifty-some Gryffindor students just wouldn't cut it, not in this world anyway.

Then, the part of her mind that really _did_ want to play spoke up. They wouldn't necessarily win. She could shake his hand, laugh when they lost and her duties were void, and then start to test what the most painful way to ping someone with a rubber band on Sirius. And if she did have to play, oh well. I wasn't like she wouldn't be able to.

"Fair enough James," she said shaking his hand. She threw a gobstone she had found on the ground at Sirius.

"What was that for?" he demanded when the pebble hit him square on the nose.

"Just getting a head-start on my day of mental and physical scaring." Aubrieann shrugged, snickering as Remus, James, and Peter dragged an indignant Sirius off to the boy's dorms. She could hear them arguing as they went up the stairs.

"Ow! No need to kick my shins, Sirius." James exclaimed.

"Excuse me, but you just sold my soul to Satan!

"What soul, Sirius. To which 'Satan'?"

"Oh, I don't know, does this sound familiar: 'Here Aubrieanna, enjoy yourself, abuse Sirius. We won't protect him or anything.'" Sirius exclaimed.

"That's not what I said." James defended.

"The point is, you sold my soul to Satan for a few songs."

"She's hardly Satan, Sirius. And she's a good musician."

"If she isn't Satan, then she sold her soul to him for musical ability!"

"And your reasoning behind this is..." Remus asked.

"She threw a _gobstone_ at me!"

"The gobstone weighed all of two grams, Sirius." Remus remarked.

"Not the point" Here it sounded like Sirius had kicked James again. "I am going to kill you!"

"Well then, you really are doomed because without a bloody captain, the team probably _will _lose." James hissed before the four of them slammed their dorm-room door.

Downstairs "Satan" laughed.

-----

Aubrieanna pulled on a pair of black gloves, scowling at Lily who had been urging her to move faster for the past several minutes.

"It's not my fault your psycho Ravenclaw friend decided that there would be better people to be seen with, Lily." she snapped.

"I'm not making you go because Dorcas is mad at me. I'm making you go because you've never seen a Quidditch game before." Lily retorted, obviously bluffing.

"That and you need to bring me so you have a good excuse for watching James Potter get pummeled by a bludger."

"I would never wish that on anybody." Lily said, smile on her face.

"Of course, but you would wish that your one and only dorm mate got frostbitten to the point of amputation." Aubrieanna said dryly.

"Glad you've got the handle on things." Lily said before dragging her to the pitch.

-----

The two of them had gotten a seat in the upper part of the Gryffindor section. Lily had made sure that they were sitting close enough to Dorcas that she could pick the poor girl apart. As Lily made several rather mean-spirited remarks on Dorcas's hair, Aubrieanna scanned the seats for someone else to talk to. Petty fights between cliques were something that she wasn't able to take part in or endue. When you had been raised in a semi-anarchic society, you either had enough of an argument to punch someone in the face, or enough common sense to let it slide. She saw a few girls that she had classes with, but most of them seemed already engaged in conversation with someone. There were no players out on the pitch yet, so it seemed like it would be a while for the game to start.

Damn Lily and her early-bird tendencies. Aubrieanna thought, because the early-November weather was bitterly cold. From a window, however, it still looked deceptively sunny and warm, so Aubrieanna, though wearing a scarf and gloves with her leather jacket, had once again underdressed.

Slowly the stand began to fill. After checking the time, Aubrieanna determined a mere ten minute starting time. Then five. Then two. Then company came.

The 'Marauders', minus James Potter who was probably with the rest of the team, had come within eight feet of her without her 'moron detector' going off. Sirius Black sat directly in front of her, turned around, and smirked.

"Ready to lose your bet Annie, dear."

"I still have that gobstone Sirius."

"No you don't."

"Yes I do."

"No you..."

"Shut up Black." she said, face blank.

"See, I was right."

"Turn around and watch the bloody match." Aubrieanna said, and then turned to Lily and pretended that Dorcas was the worst kind of preppy-almost slut imaginable.

When the match finally did begin, Aubrieanna was lost. Lily was right that it had been her first Quidditch game, but Lily's explanation that it was like football, only different didn't help because Aubrieanna had never seen a game of football either.

She did understand one thing, and that was the points. She listened carefully to the announcer's monologue for numbers.

"Beautiful day here at Hogwarts castle. Gorgeous day for a Quidditch game." here the crowd cheered. "As you all know, it's the same old teams with two exceptions. Carol McCoy and Wesley Taberny, both Hufflepuff Third years, chaser and beater respectively...

"And there goes the Quaffle. Hufflepuff possession, from Taylor to McCoy to... Quaffle dropped by McCoy as she dodged that last bludger there and the Quaffle goes into Gryffindor possession. Potter passes to Briggot resulting in... Ten points to Gryffindor! Tough luck for Hufflepuff keeper Saul Dimmont. Hufflepuff possession once again. Lookit folks, McCoy isn't going to let the Gryffindor beater scare her this time. Pass to Taylor, back to McCoy and... Oh, blocked by Gryffindor Cory Stintson. Don't feel too bad McCoy, looks like the Gryffindor Keeper will have nasty bruise tomorrow.

"Gryffindor back in possession. No, make that Hufflepuff. Nice little interception aided by Hufflepuff beaters. Potter looks highly miffed folks, I shouldn't wonder that Chaser Paul Halloway will be flying laps tonight. Looks like it didn't matter in the long run though, Taylor's shot was blocked by Stintson. Potter has the Quaffle now. If he doesn't slow down, his broom might just catch fire. And... Another ten points to Gryffindor.

"That's Twenty-zip, Gryffindor folks. Hufflepuff has the ball. Taylor to Fletchly, wondered where he'd been all game, back to Taylor. Lookit this play mates. These passes are suburb. Taylor, McCoy, Taylor, Fletchly, McCoy, Fletchly, Taylor, Fletchly... Ten points, Hufflepuff!

"The defense of both these teams is much better than average. Don't doubt that you'll see them play each other for the cup. Score is ten, twenty Gryffindor and... Bloody hell, look and both team's Seekers dive. Thirty, forty feet... This could be the game folks. Gryffindor seeker has pulled ahead...

"He's got the snitch! Gryffindor wins, one-hundred and seventy to ten!"

Aubrieanna couldn't say what made her angrier, the fact that Sirius and James had been right, or how Sirius was smirk at her right now.

"I told you we would win. I told you, I told you. I was right and you were wrong..." his smirk got bigger.

"You weren't right." she told him with a straight face.

"Didn't you hear him, Gryffindor won!"

"Not about that, Black. You were wrong when you said I didn't have the gobstone." And with that, Aubrieanna hurled the game piece at Black's confused face as hard as she could.


	6. In Which We Gain an Audience

Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, I would buy a computer that actually worked.

Authors Note: Okay, I really need some comment here because I had a hard time with writing the whole music bit, and the rest isn't much better. If it makes your eyes bleed, I apologize. Please tell me if anything else is screwed up; be like Mark who loves to pick out each and every grammatical error. Mark is on my hit list, but its not because he didn't review.

Aubrieanna was giving Lily the death-glare as she fought to keep a straight face.

"And what on _earth_ would possess you to make a bet _against _the Gryffindor team. Everyone knows they all ways win."

"Even you, with your great hatred for Quidditich." Aubrieanna replied, citing a rant Lily would go into every time someone would mention the sport.

"Exactly, and that's why it's so bloody funny..."Lily broke off into histerics.

"Whatever, just do my hair."Aubrieanna replied, pointing to the mess that was currently residing on top of her head. Lily's talent with charms made her high in demand for beautifying tips, and Aubrieanna's hair, still wet and unbrushed from her extremely short shower would have taken anyone else at least an hour to sort through.

"I assume you'll be wearing black _again_." Lily asked as she preformed a rapid fire of spells on Aubrieanna's hair.

"Well, I was thinking about a pair of black jeans, a black tank top, my black coat, dark charcoal gray boots, and, just for you, pink socks."

"You mean the ones with 'evil minion' printed on them in black."

"The very ones."

"You know, I should just singe off your hair right now."

Aubrieanna resumed her glare.

-----

Aubrieanna could feel the eyes on her as she carried her amp into the common room. Not only were they curious, they were confused. It was almost as if no one had known that she was in their house. They obviously couldn't imagine that she could possibly have a purpose for the amp she was dragging along behind her. Even Sirius look surprised, although that probably was because he didn't realize that her guitar was an electric/acoustic mix. The ability to be able to knock everyone off balance just by walking into a room was slightly empowering, and the weight she was carrying suddenly got lighter.

The 'Marauders' had already set up a makeshift stage, even though the party hadn't been going on long. It looked like it had taken most of the Gryffindors a while to make their way to the castle and warm up from the frigid fall weather. Remus, who had been looking and the amp raised his wand and a plug appeared on the stage.

By now the slight shock had worn off for most of the crowd and they went to get more smuggled butterbeer to warm their still cold hands while Aubrieanna searched her pockets for a pick. Before she had succeeded in finding one, Black came over and whispered to her.

"Are you sure you can play that?" he asked, worried that she might be hampered by the new addition to her act.

"Positive. Oh, and Black."

"Yes."

"There's a red mark on your forehead, did you know?" Aubrieanna said sweetly, pointing to the mark left by the gobstone that she'd thrown at him.

Choosing to ignore her, Black addressed the crowd.

"My fellow Gryffindors, in honor of our team's amazing victory over Hufflepuff, I have taking the liberty of booking a musician for tonight's entertainment. Here's Aubrieanna De'Muertas and her amazing guitar." the crowd largely ignored the announcement and continued chatting with friends.

Looking her by-and-large contented audience, Aubrieanna did a basic guitar solo. The volume was turned down low enough for people to not feel disturbed by the music. The point here wasn't to make a big show, the point was to keep things simple. At the end of the tune she played a few basic melodies before she was startled by a tap on the shoulder.

Black was smirking at her. "I know you can sing, and I'm willing to bet this thing can play louder."

"It can."

"Well then..." he stood up at waved his arms until he had gotten everyone's attention. "Upon request, Aubrieanna has been most kind enough to decide to sing a song for us. Everyone pay attention, it's sure to be a good one." With that he had conjured a microphone and turned the amp's volume button twice as high as it needed to be.

Now it was Aubrieanna's turn to smirk. _Want a bloody song Black? I'll give you a good one._

The first chords that she played were full of venom, causing everyone to try to inch away from the stage without being noticed. Eventually a melody broke out and she stood up to get closer to the microphone.

"Welcome to my bloody life,

where my calling card's a knife

and your face is draining of

all it's warm and crimson blood.

Watch me now, I start to scream.

You just wish this was a dream,

But you asked and I agreed

to your spiteful, vengeful plead,'

'Careful what your wishes are

and what the damned might hear.

Your wish has come through at last

your needs will disappear.'

All you wanted was a lie

and that's my purpose here.'

'You could fight me, but you don't,.

No reason why except you won't

And now that I am in your skin

What you wanted will begin.

What will be said when you find out

what this wish is all about,

how I live and breathe and die

while you in shadowed doorsteps lie?"

She looked to the audience as they stared, entranced by her music. Many of them looked frighten, but more of them were absorbing every word. Her fingers were flying across the neck of the guitar as she played an instrumental. Her audience was full absorbed. They were staring at her raptly, some with drinks paused halfway to their mouths. A smile played on her lips as she began to repeat the chorus. Competing with the sound of her voice were a few frightened, scattered claps.

-----

The next day, thankfully, was a Sunday so any exhausted Gryffindor could sleep in. When Aubrieanna did finally roll out of bed around noon, blood was seeping through the bandages on her fingers. The party had lasted many hours, with Aubrieanna playing for over half of it. The time that she hadn't played had been spent mostly on the fringes of conversations, looking on at people who were too afraid to look back at her. Towards the end Miguel, Richard, and Mundungus had showed up. Miguel had brought his guitar, so the two of them ended up trying to out-do each other and ended up being so loud that her ears were ringing even now.

Miguel, Richard, and Mundungus had been leery of her after she had been sorted into Gryffindor, not exactly ignoring her, but close. Now that they had re-established their similarities as musicians however, they had asked her if she had wanted to do some work with their band. Apparently, the group was widely known throughout Hogwarts and was almost always asked to play at Quidditch victory parties, even by Gryffindors. Personally, Aubrieanna thought this had more to do with the fact that there wasn't any other band at Hogwarts then their talent, but it would be entertaining at the very least.

Her performance last night was something her friends back home would want to hear of, so she dragged out the box of letters from underneath her bed and looked through one of the more recent ones to remind her of what all had happened since she had left. She smiled as she looked at the familiar scrawl of ruins on the page.

Dear Aubrieanna, it started,

Happy All Saint's Day. Claudette is highly upset that you aren't here to carve turnips with her, apparently mine has a face like a mutilated scarecrow. The most recent national news is the engagement of your sister to that Tamin demon. Very formal ceremony with frills and lace and crap. The most recent local news was Morgana's new boyfriend getting flambéed by Tamin (It's only the second one this year, she's finally accepted that we were right (imagine that) and that dating complete weaklings will only result in their immediate death). She's devastated and has already sprained an ankle by flying through her ballet moves. I would highly advise writing her a letter before she sprains the other one too. Rakel is singing in an opera tonight (but I don't need to tell you about that since I'm sure she'll mail you a program at some point in time), and Gregory and Miss Priss are playing chess. I'm throwing darts at that picture of the Doctor, so basically, we're all normal.

Just so you know, we're all laughing over the runic thing. I can believe the professor didn't know the Rune for pipe organ. It's a good thing you can ace all of his tests or that project would have really messed with your grade. As far as the Quidditch mania goes, I feel your pain. It would have been like the push-up compititions in military school. Everyone was so excited except for you who didn't give a damn about the whole thing.

As per usual, battle reports and casualties are enclosed. Greg just told me to remind you to make actual reports next time, not just footnotes in your letter (not that I blame you, the reports are about as stuffy as Miss Priss's over-heated 'lounge'). Rant, I mean write back soon,

Your (regrettable) servant,

Bartamaous

it started, 

Aubrieanna smirked as she picked up her quill to write back. Sometimes she didn't know who was worse, the bunch of psychos she was surrounded by now or the bunch of psychos she had grown up with.


	7. In Which We Read an Article

**Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, I would buy myself a computer that actually works.**

**Author's Note: First off, happy birthday to both Megan and Sarah! a slightly belated present, but it's here now. Secondly, I'd like to both appologize and lecture as to why my story wasn't up faster. First off, it's what I'd like to call the 'stress fest' at my high school and finals and projects are going around like crazy. I haven't had a lot of time to work on this, but hopefully it works. Secondly, I was waiting until I got five reviews for my chapter. Thank UnDead1223 for that fifth review, because I seriously wasn't intending to put htis up until I got one. Anyway, enjoy this chapter, and Godspeed through your own personal stress fests!**

Aubrieanna absentmindedly ducked as a low-flying owl swooped over her table to deliver a message. She was thoughtfully chewing her muffin as she flipped through the pages of Lily's subscription to the Daily Prophet. Lily had been out late comforting her Ravenclaw friend who was 'dying of chronic heartbreak' after her fifth boyfriend this year had dumped her. Judging from the four other times this had happened, Lily would be running late the rest of the day. Aubrieanna knew that the last thing on her mind would be a newspaper

Lily was always doing things like that, helping people when they felt alone. At first Aubrieanna couldn't help wondering what Lily would be able to do if she was given a real wrong to right. Not fixing feelings, but really making a difference. It hadn't taken her too long to determine that Lily had no place on a battlefield, not even a symbolic one. She just didn't understand life yet.

Not that I do. Aubrieanna thought, swallowing a bite of muffin. _I do understand the opposite though._

Aubrieanna thought, swallowing a bite of muffin. 

Shoving the depressing thoughts from her head, Aubrieanna started to skim through the paper. Usually the headlines proclaimed irritatingly one-sided political views, but darker stories were appearing more and more frequently. There was the psycho with the skull tattoo on his arm that had been terrorizing muggles in Northern Ireland and the recent tortures of various well-to-do muggle-borns. The front page was filled with the usual sludge. There were environmental wizards trying to have laws passed about caldron fume pollution as well as an article that was written by a ambitious ministry official that praised the Minister of Magic's latest decision on werewolf citizenship. When she flipped to the second page, however, an article caught her eye.

Fayne-stlye Murderer In Our Midst

LONDON: A grisly murder appears to have taken place early last evening. London-born wizard, Aros Splicker, was discovered brutally murdered in a side alley near St. Mungos Hospital. The arms and face of the body was covered in small runic-shaped cuts. Attacks of this type are reminiscent of the Fayne war that ended several years ago. The ministry's best runic experts have begun to translate the message in the hope of discovering the reason for Splicker's untimely death. So far, they have been unsuccessful. "The majority of the markings' meanings are unknown to the wizarding world." Said a leader on this project Melvin Hoggert. "What ruins we are able to translate make absolutely no sense when used with the surrounding words. Needless to say, this will be a long and difficult process. Aros Splicker's family has chosen to remember their loved one's spirit in typical fashion. Splicker's funeral service will occur on Thursday at nine o'clock a.m., and visitation will be closed-casket.

Aubrieanna groaned. She could see where this was going.

-----

The danger that Splicker's death brought to Aubrieanna made her oddly subdued for the rest of the day. During lunch Aubrieanna sat off by herself, despite Lily's offer to join her at the Ravenclaw table. She was just bringing a forkful of spinach to her mouth when a piece of parchment was thrown at her. Glancing up quickly so as to catch the offender, she saw Remus Lupin smiling apologetically while Sirius Black stood behind him and smirked.

She quickly read the paper and then gave Remus a questioning look.

"It's a flyer for the Three Broomsticks. They're always looking for musicians to play now and then on Hogsmeade weekends. I thought you might be interested." He explained.

Aubrieanna shrugged. "Thanks but no thanks." She said, neatly folding the flyer and handing it back to him. "I don't really like playing at a place where I've never been to before."

"You've never been to the Three Broomsticks?" Black asked, grinning mischeiviously.

"No, I've ever been to Hogsmeade." She repeated.

"Why not? Lily goes to Hogesmeade all the time." Remus asked.

"Yeah, she goes with her friends, and I stay home and write to mine."

"But you've never been to Hogsmeade?" Sirius insisted.

"No." Aubrieanna said shortly, having a sneaking suspicion that she wouldn't like where this was going.

"Well then, I have a splendid idea." Black said suspiciously over-enthusiastically. "Remus here can take you."

"Come again?" Remus said, obviously annoyed.

"You can take Aubrieanna to Hogsmeade."

"How about not." Aubrieanna glared.

Sirius ignored her. "It'll be perfect Remus, James and Peter will be following..."

"James will kill you if you say her name, particularly in the present company."

"Right. Well you hate stalking, so you won't want to be with those two, and I'm going with Lynne and you hate Lynne..."

"I don't hate Lynne; I hate the displays of affection that always seem to occur when she's around."

Sirius continued without even acknowledging Remus's comment "So... If you take Aubrieanna, then everyone's happy."

"Except for me." Remus and Aubrieanna said at the same time.

"Precisely." Sirius said, seeming to remember for the first time that Aubrieanna was involved in this conversation. "So, he'll meet you in the entrance hall around nine? Great." He dropped his false cheerful act and glared. "And if either of you don't show up, prepare for and extremely embarrassing letter."

"And you intend to embarrass me how?" Aubrieanna said. The very idea of Sirius embarrassing her was insulting.

"Imagination is such a beautiful thing." He said sighed. "For example, just imagine, a very loud howler from your secret lover: 'How could you do this to me Annie, my dearest. Didn't I promise you my undying love despite your hideously deformed right foot? How dare you do this after all the time we've spent together! I thought you loved me, and only me! Don't leave me. Please, I'll love you forever...'" He trailed off with a vaguely evil grin. "And here's the kicker, your secret lover; he's going to be Remus."

"What!"Remus exclaimed.

I'm just saying, if I were you, I'd show up."

And then, still smirking evilly, he walked back to his seat, dragging Remus behind him. "I told you that you would rue the day you crossed Sirius Black. That'll teach you to put slugs in my pillow."

Remus's comment of "Sirius, that was James." was ignored.

"Revenge is so sweet. Throw a gobstone at me will you Aubrieanna? Well I have the last laugh!" His last laugh was very maniacal.

-----

Aubrieanna was beginning to relax. She finished her classes for the day. Surely if she was going to be accused for the Splicker's murder she would have been summoned before now. It wasn't as if she was hiding. By dinner she was almost certain that the Minister wouldn't jump to conclusions about this whole fiasco and would spend his time apprehending the real criminal instead of harassing her.

Her tranquility didn't even suffer when Remus came over to talk about going to Hogsmeade. Sirius was watching them closely from across the table to be sure that they weren't plotting to spoil his revenge. It was slightly amusing. Remus kept apologizing for Sirius and then going on about how he wanted to make sure that she was fine with everything.

"I don't really want to go but... I mean, not that you're not nice, well you're not nice... No wait I mean... Look, I wouldn't do this except I try to keep a low profile. Keeping a low profile generally doesn't involve having love letters, even fake ones, shouted our in the Great Hall, so just cutting our losses and having Sirius have his fun seems like the best idea."

As much as she hated amusing Black, Aubrieanna knew that attracting attention to herself was not the best idea right now, not with that article out anyway.

"Don't worry Remus, I'll be there. I'm overdue on my first Hogsmeade visit anyway.

Their conversation was interrupted by a sixth year Hufflepuff prefect who handed Aubrieanna a note.

She read it carefully and her carefree mood was instantly forgotten. "I've got to go to Dumbledore's, Remus. See you on Saturday."

-----

The note, in addition to instructing her to go to the headmaster's office, had a password scrawled across the bottom. When she reached the grimacing stone gargoyle she couldn't help but smile. The statue reminded her so much of Gregory. The password, Blossom's Bubble Gum, didn't fit him at all though.

Oh well, she thought sullenly as she climbed up the stairs. _Even if they hate me here, I'll be welcomed_ _back home._

she thought sullenly as she climbed up the stairs. 

Her musings were interrupted by the sounds of an argument on the other side of the thick oak door that separated her from Dumbledore's office.

"She's mad, Albus. Her entire species is. Look at what they do to themselves, to each other. _Look at what she did to Splicker. _I told you this would never work, but you just kept on insisting on it and now a wizard's dead. And not just any wizard either. Splicker was good wizard who donated lots of money to the ministry. I ignore a lot of what goes on at this school. I even kept my mouth shut when you let that _monster _attend classes. But now... Well you've just gone too far. Either you get here out of here or I will."

"Minister, please calm down. First of all, she is perfectly sane. More so than you right now. Secondly, she is _human, _same as us. Most importantly, you have absolutely no right to be accusing her without any evidence..."

"Evidence Albus, you want _evidence_. That boy was covered in runes. Complex runes that our best translators don't understand. If she didn't do it then who did?"

"If you're so impatient to find the answers, then why don't we ask her?" Dumbledore said, as the door slowly opened


	8. In Which We Go to Hogsmeade

Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, you would have to buy this in a bookstore instead of reading it for free.

Author's Note: I would like to apologize for taking so long with this. Not only was I extremely busy, this was a difficult chapter to write and I went through about three different ways to write this. As such any feedback would be GREATLY appriciated If it's any consultation, this is a long and very crucial chapter that I have put up despite the fact that I only received three reviews.

As soon as Aubrieanna entered the room, she became extremely aware of two gazes fixated on her. The first was Dumbledore's. To her great relief she found that his eyes were neither accusing nor mocking her. The other gaze, however, was full of suspicion and contempt. The Minister obviously believed that was to blame for the murder, he had tensed when she had entered the room and was know attempting to face Dumbledore without exposing his back to her. She found it amusing that any sovereign power would elect this man their leader. From what she had found out about the balding individual in front of her, she had concluded that he had a mediocre level of intelligence and very little tolerance for people who thought differently than he did. His intolerance appeared to have been stretched to include his wardrobe. Two shoes that reflected the light with the same intensity as a polished mirror hid beneath the trousers of his wrinkless black suit accented with a white shirt and a plain tie that was probably starched to the point that folding it would have snapped it in half.

"Hello Miss De'Muertas," Dumbledore addressed her, "As you are probably aware, a rather gruesome murder has the placed the Ministry in considerable turmoil. Being that they are certain similarities between this murder and murders associated with the Fayne Wars, the Minister was wondering if you knew anything about it."

"Only what was reported in the Daily Prophet, Professor." She replied, attempting to keep calm under the Minister's accusatory gaze.

"And would you know of any Ovalonian groups that would attempt something like this?"

Aubrieanna scowled. Any answer would be the wrong one. Both the Standard and the Revolutionaries despised the Wizarding world due to the fact that it had sent their ancestors into banishment on Ovalonia and resented the fact that their magic had been deemed repulsive by most civilized wizards. The House of Death, her house, was currently leading both the Standard and the Revolution. Accusing either would imply that she had something to do with it, particularly due to the fact that she was currently the only Ovalonian with a pardon from the British government to be here.

"Not particularly. It could have just as easily been a British citizen." She replied.

The Minister face contorted, he kept the volume of his voice controlled, but venom seeped through every word. "This _monstrosity _was most certainly _not_ conducted by any member of Great Brittan. _Your_ people are the only people who use Runic. _Your_ people are the only people who would conduct such an abomination of magic. Therefore, we must conclude that it was one of _your people_ who have done this."

"With all due respect,"_ Which isn't very much._ Aubrieanna thought to herself. "You have no proof. Your specialists have not even been able to conclude that all of the shapes are even Runes. You have no Ovalonian suspects other than me in the country, and I would have had _no _motivation and was here at school at the time. Therefore, we must conclude that it was _not_ one of 'my people'."

The rest of Aubrieanna's rant was cut off by Professor Dumbledore. "Minister, thank you for coming to express your concern, but I have some previous engagements and, as busy as you must be, I assume you must too." He ushered the Minister towards the fireplace. "There is some floo powder on the mantel if you wish, help yourself." As Dumbledore walked back to his desk, the Minister took a handful of the powder, threw it in the fireplace and stepped into the green flames, speaking the name of London residence as he did so. By the time he had fully vanished, Aubrieanna had made it half-way to the door, she heard Dumbledore calling her back.

"Miss De'Muertas, are you positive that you don't know anything that might be related to this crime?" he said.

"I thought I had already gone over that."

"If that is the case, and I suspect that it is, then I would ask you to be extremely careful. As you have seen, the Minister is searching for a scapegoat already, and if these murders persist, he will only become more desperate to find someone to blame. As you yourself said, you are the only registered Ovalonian in Brittan, making you the prime, and in some people's eyes, the only suspect. Be _extremely _careful. What you say, where you go, and whatever you are doing could easily be misinterpreted as evidence against you. I hardly need to remind you that you are to be trying to help Wizard and Ovalonian relations, and being accused of any type of crime, particularly one this serious, would hardly assist you in that goal."

"I am aware Professor, but thank you just the same." Aubrieanna said. As much as Dumbledore had helped her, and as high as her mother had thought of him, Aubrieanna did not trust him, and despised having to take orders from someone she didn't fully trust. _Mind you, you don't really trust anyone. _She lectured herself.

"You've done well so far by the way." he said, giving her a smile before burring himself in various scrolls that had ended up on his desk. "I trust you can show yourself out."

-----

On the day of the Hogsmeade visit, a rare occurrence happened: Lily woke up before Aubrieanna. Aubrieanna first became aware of this fact when a large jet of water squirted directly into her face.

"Wake up!" Lily said, aiming her wand, which was the source of the water, at Aubrieana's face. "You have to get ready for your date with Remus!"

"It's not a date." Aubrieanna insisted, drying her face off with the corner of her sheet. "It's a mutual agreement to spend the day together in order to avoid various negative consequences."

Lily laughed. "Well, you only have an hour to get ready, but I guess I took care of you having to wash your face..."

Lily good deed was awarded by a stream of dish soap streaming from Aubrieanna's wand.

-----

Remus and Aubrieanna followed a large crowd of students into The Three Broomsticks, ordered two butter beers, and found a deserted, though slightly dusty table. They sipped their drinks in silence for a while before Remus began to search for a conversation topic.

"So... Do you like the new Spider Bite song?"

"Don't know that I've heard it, why?"

"Just curious. Personally, I find the whole eight-part chorus to be a bit much."

"Eight parts isn't that bad."

"I thought you said you hadn't heard the song."

"I didn't. I have, however, sung in a twelve-part chorus, and I hardly thought it was 'a bit much'."

Remus absentmindedly drew a circle in the dust. "And where was this twelve-part chorus?"

"My old school. There was a huge emphasis on the arts."

"Really, and they taught magic too, I assume."

Aubrieanna nodded. "Not as much as here. Like I said, it was an arts school. It was only open to... magical people, but it was first and foremost a place to develop your talents."

"So how does the school decide whose talent need developing?"

"They hold tryouts." Aubrieanna was beginning to wish she had never brought the chorus up. Remus was asking too many questions.

"So what did you do?"

"For tryouts? I played a few pieces on the piano."

"You can play the piano too?"

"Much better than the guitar. The piano is my first and favorite instrument." Aubrieanna decided to avoid further questioning. "So, don't you play any instruments?"

Remus laughed. "No, I have clarinet lessons for a while, but my teacher proclaimed me hopeless."

"So, what else to you do?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you write, paint, sculpt... You don't dance ballet do you?" She asked smirking

Remus choked on his butter beer. "Dancing takes a certain amount of grace doesn't it?"

"Yes."

"Then I don't, and never shall be able to dance."

"Never stopped Morgana."

"Who?"

Damn thought Aubrieanna as she realized that she was, once again, inviting unwanted questions. "No one. Just an old friend I went to school with who can prance around a stage in toe shoes like a queen, but cannot climb up stairs without sustaining at _least _a bruise."

thought Aubrieanna as she realized that she was, once again, inviting unwanted questions. "No one. Just an old friend I went to school with who can prance around a stage in toe shoes like a queen, but cannot climb up stairs without sustaining at a bruise." 

"Ah, so there is hope for my secret dream as staring in the Nutcracker?"

"As who, the sugar plum fairy?"

"You know, you're about as hilarious as Professor Binns handing out a pop quiz."

"Oh well, it could be worse."

"How?"

"I could be a hilarious as, say, you Remus."

"Thanks."

They drank some more of their butter beer, which was becoming quite cold, before Remus came up with another question.

"So... Have you read anything interesting in the Daily Prophet lately?

Without really meaning to, Aubrieanna replied. "The Splicker murder, I guess."

"Gruesome, eh? I almost feel bad for him."

"Almost?"

"Splicker wasn't the greatest fellow. He was pure-blooded and rich which made him arrogant and ignorant."

"Look around Remus, you just described most of the students in Slytherin, and I hardly think that they deserve to have their corpse used as some abstract drawing board."

"I'm just saying, I'm not exactly ready to morn Splicker's death. He despised anything that wasn't pure blood wizard. What really worries me is the fact that there's rouge Fayne on the loose."

Aubrieanna bristled. "And why is that?"

"Haven't you ever heard of the Fayne wars?" Remus asked, slightly shocked.

"I grew up in..." Aubrieanna stopped herself before she let herself slip. "Denmark, California. Brittan is an entire ocean _and_ continent away."

"Still, they happened just before we were born. It's fairly current stuff."

"Well, if it's something I need to know so badly, tell me about it."

"Well, to start with, how much do you know about the history of the Faynes?"

Aubrieanna had to cough violently to hide the laughter that was fighting to get out of her. "Sorry about that. Why don't you just fill me in on what _you_ know?"

Remus sighed. "The Faynes began as a small group of English citizens. They apparently formed after realizing that they possessed some sort of unique power. At the time, no one other than the Faynes knew exactly what their powers were, however as they began to develop them they became less and less like witches and wizards and more like... I don't even know what to call them. For many centuries, they kept largely to themselves, however when the Wizarding world began to form a government in response to the widespread witch-hunts going on throughout the country, they resurfaced and sent representatives to a council. That was the first time that the rest of the wizarding world knew what they had been doing. They no longer used wands. They had knives and they would cut runes in their skin..." Remus had unconsciously started to rub his arms, as if by doing so he could wipe away the ancient runes.

"But the magic worked, didn't it?" Aubrieanna asked, knowing the answer.

"It did but... Can you imagine losing half a pint of blood for a simple levitation spell? Their way of magic was almost useless in daily life, and what they _could_ do was dangerous. They were very good at manipulating... I suppose it's best described as pure magical energy. They could create force fields, control powerful things such as storms, I've heard that some of them could take fire and shape it into objects and, in doing so, create those objects. The amount of raw energy they used would distort any normal spell in their vicinity. Worse, they had developed their abilities enough to begin messing in forbidden things. They would try to bend time, and alter reality. The members of the council gave them an ultimatum: They could either give up their magic, or they could leave, by death if no other way was necessary. In response, they somehow managed to warp reality to create a land that was completely unplottable, and they created their own haven. They all left to this world and, to the best of any wizarding knowledge didn't come back."

"Until the Fayne Wars?" Aubrieanna pushed, curious to know more.

"Until about sixteen years ago. A small group appeared in the Ministry of Magic. They didn't speak English well; they conversed with each other entirely in Runic, something that no other group has been able to do for centuries, so at first no one believed them when they claimed to be Faynes. After all, it had long been theorized that when the Faynes created their haven, they created a new dimension of sorts, one that they wouldn't be able to escape from. They spoke of some sort of war, but no one could understand them well. Suddenly, another group appeared and began attacking the Aurors, translators, and anyone else in the room. By the end of the attack, only one survivor remained, a Fayne identified as Anne. The Ministry, of course, tried to capture and question her but she escaped.

"Several more attacks followed," Remus continued. "Sometimes the Faynes battled the wizards, sometimes the Faynes battled the Faynes, but towards the end, the Ministry was in complete panic. They couldn't determine where the Faynes would strike next. Anne reappeared several times. Sometimes, it looked like the Faynes were searching for her. Other time, she would appear during a battle and they would attempt to kill her. Worst of all, were the times that she would attack various leaders."

"Attack, as in assassinate?" Aubrieanna asked, although she had never heard that side of thing before.

"Not really... It was very odd. She would follow them, stop them and, in most cases, try to speak with them before they would, in an attempt to protect themselves, cast spells at her. She always managed to come on top of those fights. The leaders were never killed, just stunned, frozen, knocked out..."

"How did it end?" Aubrieanna asked, although she already knew.

"Anne entered into a Fayne-against-Fayne battle. At the end, she cast a spell and they all just left. Hundreds of wizards died, and not just from the battles either. Sometimes, the spells holding up people's houses would fail and they would be crushed to death as their homes collapsed."

"And now this murder, it makes everyone worried that it will all happen again?"

Remus only shrugged.


	9. In Which We Bond With Lily? !

Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, I wouldn't be on FanFiction, now would I?

Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait. I've been on vacation and working on an original story, so it's been hard to update. I'm not sure about this chapter, so I'd really like some feedback. Plus, I'm curious, how much of the plot have you figured out? I'll only know if you review. One last thing, this Chapter is dedicated to Kelsea, because even if she didn't review (hit the blue button in the lower left hand corner and type), she did call me up and critic me. Nice job Kelsea!

Aubrieanna couldn't sleep. That wasn't particularly odd, but this time it wasn't because of dreams. She had gotten another letter from home. For what seemed to be the eightieth time that night, she illuminated the paper with her wand and began to read.

Ri Inion,  
It is my regretful duty to inform you that your servant Rane is now deceased. Having died honorably, his family requests that he is allowed to rest on the family land.  
Please reply soon,  
Your Servant,  
Gregory

She should have know that it would be trouble from the minute she realized that Gregory had addressed her not by name, but by title. He out of everyone knew that she didn't want her place of honor among her society. What she truly wanted was to have the stupid war over. Her original feeling of grief over her childhood friend's death was receding into guilt. The original plan for her coming here ad been to distance herself until she came of age, but she hadn't realized how well it was succeeding until she realized that not only had she been distance from the death, she had, in her mind, distanced others who were still in very significant danger of death. It was her job to worry about them and she hadn't been.

Her eyes began to water, but not so much because of the death of Rane. She was sad, certainly, but had been expecting a letter like this from when she first arrive in England. She was crying because she had forgotten her duty. She lead against her headboard as she thought of her old home, and didn't emerge until shortly before dawn.

-----

As Aubrieanna made her way to an extremely early breakfast, she hoped that she would be left alone. When she entered the Great Hall, she was relived to find that there were only three other people sitting at the Gryffindor table. She was headed toward the opposite end when one of the party walked up to her.

"Good morning." Remus said, although the dark circles under his eyes showed quite clearly that he hadn't had enough of a good night for this to really be a good morning. "You're up early. Care to join us?"

"Not particularly, thanks." Aubrieanna replied as she tried to step around Remus.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"Quite."

"Well then, you might want to know that they've been talking about you for the past ten minutes then."

Aubrieanna gave a silent farewell to her plans of a quite breakfast when she saw who the gossipers were.

"Sirius Black and Mundungus Fletcher. Oh joy of joys." Aubrieanna groaned as she allowed Remus to lead her to the table.

"... So like I'm saying, If you play and Aubrieanna plays then we've got a full night of music, but if your play together then it's going to be a brilliant little concert." Sirius said.

"I dunno if we can do that though. You'd have to talk to the rest of the band, I'm just a manager of a sort so..." Mundungus trailed off.

"Speak of the Devil!" Sirius exclaimed with false cheer as Aubrieanna glare. "And aren't you in a fine mood this morning?"

"It's morning and I have Binns first, of course I'm not in a good mood."

"Fair point. Would a biscuit make you feel any better? I'll even give you your choice of jam." Sirius said, already reaching for the plate of biscuits.

"I don't think so. What would make me feel better is if you tell me exactly what it is that you're planning."

"What makes you think we're planning?" Asked Mundungus.

"One I could hear you. Two, Remus told me you were talking about me. Three, I know that smirk of Sirius's and it screams ' I am going to exploit you, please punish me in advance'."

Sirius glared at Remus who was very intent on putting hot sauce on his scrambled eggs.

"We were just wondering if you would give a repeat performance, maybe do a little with Dung's band?"

"What's the occasion?"

"Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw match next week." Remus answered.

"So assuming you win, you want me to play for your little party?"

"Right, with Dung's band." Sirius answered, looking entirely too hopeful.

"No." Aubrieanna said, thinking of the letter. She didn't have time for this. Not at all.

"Why not?" Remus probed.

"I... Have to look out for some friends."

"Yeah, but all your friends will be at the party." Mundungus said. "I mean, even your Mudblood roommate will be their..."

Sirius cut him off. "What was that about Evans?" He asked, suddenly eerily cold.

"What? Oh, the Mudblood thing again. Sorry Sirius, force of habit. You know how it is." Mundungus replied, either missing the fact that Sirius was extremely upset or ignoring it.

"No, I don't know how it is to look at one group of people as inferior because of their heritage."

"Bloody Hell Sirius, the way you go on about it you'd think that I was insulting you." Mundungus rolled his eyes.

"You are." Sirius sounded dangerous now.

"I hate to point it out to you mate, but your a pureblood so..."

Sirius started to laugh. It was far from joyful. "And I'd much rather spend my time with a 'Mudblood' like Evans than any to them. Consider yourself excused from the obligations of performing." With that he stood off and stalked off into the corridor.

Mundungus glanced at Remus, and then at Aubrieanna. "I, um...imagine I'd better get to class." He said, walking off, although the earliest class wouldn't start for another hour.

Remus remained seated and stared off into space. After a few minute Aubrieanna cleared her throat and asked, "What was that about?"

Remus laughed bitterly. "That was all about Sirius and his problems with his heritage."

Aubrieanna answered with a confused look and Remus kept on going.

"See, Sirius is a pureblood. His entire family has magical blood. Most of the purebloods don't have problems with what they are, but they do have problems with everyone else. half-bloods, halfbreeds, and especially Muggle-borns, they look down on them all. Sirius hates it. He has since about three weeks into his first year when he found out that Muggle-borns can do magic just as well as everyone else., that they can be just a polite, and just as helpful to the magical community. Once he established that fact he realized that he had been lied to all his life by his family and if there's one thing that really upsets Sirius, it's a liar."

"So Dung's reference to him being pureblood really set him off?"

"Yeah. What makes it worse for Sirius is that he did have pureblood friends before he come to Hogwarts. Now they most all ignore him, a few will go out of their way to annoy him, but he doesn't have very many old friends. 'Dung's a half-blood though, so he'll talk to Sirius. Since he's in Slytherin, he keeps Sirius posted, because Sirius really still does care what happens to the pureblood maniacs, even if he's convinced himself that he doesn't." Remus had still been staring off into space when he said all this, but he suddenly turned to Aubrieanna. "Do they have these problems in Denmark, California?"

Aubrieanna gave a half-hearted smile. "Oh yeah. They have different names, but where I come from, everyone's convinced that who your parents are is who you are."

"Really, so what are you?" Remus asked jokingly.

"Talk to my sister, and she'd call me a worthless mongrel."

"And anyone else?"

"I don't really know." Aubrieanna said. The honesty of her answer terrified her.

-----

Aubrieanna was in a withdrawn state for the rest of the day. She dozed through history, daydreamed through Runes and was now sleepwalking through potions. She was lucky her partner was Lily, because she really couldn't afford to screw up in Potions. She was even better at Herbology than Potions, and she had killed another plant just last week.

"Don't put the nettles in yet!" Lily hissed, grabbing Aubrieanna's wrist as she tried to dump twice as many nettles as needed in the mixture before waiting for it to boil. "Honestly, what is up with you today? You've been all spacey."

Aubrieanna tried to come up with a convincing lie, but instead a warped version o f the truth came out. "I got some bad news from home, and then I was talking to Remus and Sirius about playing for the next victory party and Remus asked some questions that really have me thinking so..."

"Want me to kill anyone?" Lily asked, and Aubrieanna wasn't sure if she was joking.

"Don't bother. The offer was nice though."

"What Remus and you were talking about, did it involve Fletcher and some choice terms?"

"How'd you guess?"

"Because Black ranted to Potter for a full fifteen minuets and anyone with two ears could have heard him. It's funny, because I've been called 'Mudblood' God knows how many times and it never has bothered me as much as just hearing the words bothers Black."

"That's what Remus and I were talking about, and it made me think of home and between that and the letter I'm beginning to think I need to go back home."

"Christmas is in a few weeks, I'm sure you'll be going back then." Lily replied.

"No I won't. I can't."

"Why not?" Lily asked, confused.

"It's boiling." Aubrieanna pointed out, even though it had been for the past two minutes and neither of them had cared at all. She couldn't answer the question, and she knew it.

After Lily measured the correct number of nettles and stirred the potion clockwise seven times she turned back to Aubrieanna. "You know, I got some news from home today too."

"Good or bad?" Aubrieanna asked.

"Both. My sister, Petunia is getting married over winter break. I'm happy for her but..."

"You'll miss her?" Aubrieanna finished for her.

"Not exactly, I'm just afraid that I might not be able to make things up to her. I'm six years younger than her, so I was the baby of the family and she was always a little jealous, but after I became a witch... She just felt like Mum and Dad liked me better I guess. I only figured out that was why she was so angry at me a little while ago, and now that she's moving out I won't be able to ever show her that she's just as much a part of our family as I am. I doubt I'll ever be able to fix it."

"So I guess you won't be her Maid of Honor then."

"That's the worst part, I am and she picked a pink dress." Lily grimaced. "Pink on a red-head, ugh. At least that is one fate you will always be able to escape from." She joked, trying to hide how upset she was. After a moments silence in which four dozen spider legs were added to the brew Lily piped up again. "You know, I don't even know if you have a sister, do you?"

"One half-sister, and one half-brother. They both hate me so I doubt I will every be invited to either of their weddings."

"Do they got to Hogwarts?" Lily asked. She had successfully covered up any sadness she was feeling concerning her sister's wedding.

"My half-brother does."

"Who is he? Do I know him?"

"He's a Slytherin and a Seventh year. Plus my father calls him out of school all the time for 'family business', so I doubt it."

"Oh, how about your sister?"

"Half-sister. She's... not a witch. She's twenty now, and we can't even be in the same room with each other with out starting a battle." Lily nodded and dropped the subject.

Ten minutes and two drops of essence of moon-flower, and the potion was giving off a pleasant aroma.

"Ta-dah!" Lily said triumphantly as she scooped out a sample for Slughorn to grade. She set it on his desk just as class was dismissed and walked in step with Aubrieanna.

"So, do you know any spells to change dress colors?" She asked as the two of them headed up to their room.


	10. In Which We Plan For Christmas

Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter I wouldn't be on fan fiction, would I?

Author's Note: Thanks to my reviewers, those few special people who make my day just by typing a few sentences... Give me advice that I think is valid, odd and unusual names, or a new and better title and I'll dedicate a chapter to you! And, yes, now I'm berating myself for sinking so low into bribery. Fast fact, I'm writing about winter in 95 degree weather. It doesn't help you cool down, so don't bother trying it for that purpose.

On the morning after Gryffindor's narrow defeat of Ravenclaw, the Gryffindor Common Room was almost completely deserted. No one had slept much the night before, and Aubrieanna was no exception. She was, however, one of the few house members that had summoned up the energy to emerge from their warm beds into the cold. She was just finishing addressing a letter to Morgana as she noticed a Prefect tacking up a notice. She folded the letter and walked over to the notice board.

There were various papers for things like the Gobstone's Club or missing items, but the new notice would capture the interest of far more students. It announced the date of the next Hogsmede visit.

December eighteenth, two weeks. Aubrieanna frowned. Surely it wasn't December already?

As she navigated through the castle to the Owlery, her mind drifted off to what the next few weeks would hold. Christmas was coming up, and that meant that soon the students would be leaving for Winter Break.

The original plan was for me to go back home for the Breaks, but now... Now that would be impossible. Without her mother to help her, she would be unable to return home. Morgana was the only other Fayne willing to help here who was powerful enough to be of any use, but Morgana was half insane, and also underage. She couldn't attempt something like that, it could easily turn disastrous.

So she couldn't go home. It would be impossible. In theory, after either she or Morgana turned sixteen they would receive the necessary power and control to send her home, but that would take a while. For them to get her here had required the two of them_ and _a spell that her mother had already created. She wouldn't be able to return until next September.

That left two options; stay at the castle, or return to her father's.

Aubrieanna barely even considered the latter option before she wondered what all of the Hogwarts Christmas traditions were.

Aubrieanna's dislike of her father's house had been formed shortly after she was told that she was to be staying there. It wasn't as though her father was terrible. While he had hardly been happy to find that she needed to be placed under his care, he had let her have leave of the guest room in the attic and kept her feed. The worst part about being there was the fact that almost no one would meet her eyes. Her father usually looked slightly to the left of her, as if by not seeing her she would not exist. It had not taken her long to determine that, to him, she was an embarrassment. After she had determined that, she had started to take her meals in her room, served by a house elf whose eyes would dart fearfully every time she entered a room containing Aubrieanna. She all together avoided her half brother , who _would_ look at her, although it was clear that his gaze contained only hate. At first she had thought it was jealousy, however after hearing what Remus had said about how purebloods viewed half bloods, she was hardly surprised at his instant dislike of her.

It appears that I will be having a Christmas all alone. She mused silently as she placed her letter in the mouth of a willing owl.

-----

Aubrieanna turned another dusty page of another dusty book. She and Remus had paper spread all over one of the Library tables as they worked on a Runic paper. Typically, these assignments were easy for her, much more so then Potions or Transfiguration. She _dreamt_ in Runic most of the time. This one involved actually _reading_ a work that was entirely in Runic. Once again, this wouldn't normally be a problem, but the wizarding would had forgotten so much of the language over the years, and although the books were highly regarded by wizards, anyone who had grown up speaking Runic would go insane. It was like forcing yourself to read a novel by a four year old, one without out punctuation, with missing words, and scores and scores of backwards letters. Aubrieanna realized within the first few days of her Runes class that any wizard would think the same thing of anything her culture still had that was in English, but at this point it time, frustration was causing any empathy she might have felt for the incompetent authors to disappear. She felt her head drop steadily until it was resting on the pages. She wondered idly if moldy books could spread their fungus into your hair.

"It's not _that_ hard." Remus said when he saw her, half laughing. "You're usually so quick at Runes."

"Yeah, well this is insane. I'm getting _such_ a headache." Unlike herself, Remus was cheerfully translating word by word. His understanding of the language was very good for a wizard, and equivalent to whoever had written these bloody books They were on the same wavelength, and he was actually _enjoying_ the assignment. She slammed her head against the book a few times, hoping it would stop the throbbing in her brain. It didn't.

"Well, this looks like it's going well." Said a voice from behind them.

"Shut up Lily." Aubrieanna replied. "Beating you with this book might not match the pain of having to read it, but I'm sure it would come close."

Her two companions laughed, and even Aubrieanna managed to smile.

"Just thought you'd like to know that there's a sign up sheet in the Great Hall for anyone who wants to stay here over break." Lily said before turning and attempting to smirk evilly. "Now I guess I'd better leave you to your reading."

The thought of processing one more sentence of the cursed book in front of her made Aubrieanna want to scream. "No." She said forcefully enough to earn her a withering look from a Hufflepuff who was browsing through the shelves containing wizard biographies. "I mean, I'll just go do that now... Wouldn't want to forget." She stuffed the massive book into her bag and headed for the Great Hall.

As she navigated her way to the Great Hall, Aubrieanna kept seeing Runes scrolling through her mind. Even when she wasn't reading the book it was driving her insane. Her frustration caused her to walk down the wrong staircase without realizing it, one that descended to the courtyard. Right floor, wrong side of the building. She scowled and began to travel down the corridor leading to the Great Hall when she heard someone enter through a door behind her.

"Just who I was looking for." Said the voice behind her, although its owner didn't seem happy at all to have found her.

She turned, and, after recognizing the figure felt a mask of emotionless cold fall onto her face. "And why would that be, Myron?"

Her half-brother scowled. "Father wanted me to deliver this to you." He said, thrusting a piece of parchment at her. "Something about Break." Myron glared at her a few moments and stalked down to the dungeons. Only after she was positive that he truly had left did she sit down on the steps and opened the letter.

Aubrieanna,  
While I am aware that Hogwarts offers any student the option of remaining at school over Christmas Break, I would kindly request that you come home. Myself and the Minister both agree that it would be beneficial to you to experience more time living in a wizarding home. I expect to see you soon.  
Grogen Platt

Aubrieanna reread the note before crumpling it into a ball and throwing it into her bag. The Minister advised that she go home? As angry as it made her, she realized that she didn't have much of an option. She would be forced to spend Christmas with her relatives in London.

Suddenly, her Runic homework was looking rather inviting.

-----

When Aubrieanna returned to the dormitory, Lily was sitting there with a piece of parchment in front of her, tapping her quill impatiently as she debated what to write next. Aubrieanna dropped her bag on the floor by her bed, announcing her presence to Lily.

"So, all set to spend the holiday here then?" She asked, her attention still mostly on whatever assignment she was working on.

"Not exactly." Aubrieanna said quickly, moving without pausing into a new topic. "What are you working on?" She tried to keep her voice light, but to her ears it sounded as though she was being strangled.

"An essay for potions. I can't remember what the third use for... Hang on a minute, what do you mean 'not exactly'." She said, finally looking up.

"My father thinks it would be beneficial for me to stay with him over the break."

"You don't sound very excited." Lily commented.

"I'm not. I've already told you, I don't really get along with most of my family." She began to crack her knuckles one at a time wishing each pop was the sound of the breaking of one of her family member's bones. "I can just see Christmas dinner. We'll all sit at opposite corners of a huge table, glaring at each other. I'd bet you five Galleons that the only words I'll hear the whole meal will be 'please pass the salt."

"Well..." Lily began, but Aubrieanna was in the middle of a rant and cut her off before she could get farther.

"I don't even like salt!" she growled. "I like to put pepper on things, but there's never and pepper in the bloody _house_ because it makes bloody Myron sneeze. I don't even know why they want me to come. For the three weeks I was stuck there this summer, and I thought that I would loose my mind. They ignore me, glare at me, refuse to look me in the eye, have an inability to say my name... It's fairly obvious that they can't stand me, and I know that I can't stand them. I was able to live fifteen years without even knowing them, so I can't figure why it's so damn important that I see them now..."

Aubrieanna would have gone on, but Lily stopped her.

"Is it at all possible, Aubrieanna, that you might be able to use this to your advantage. Maybe you can be so great that they are forced to speak to you, or at least buy you some pepper." She said. "Or, maybe you could spend Christmas with your mum. I'm sure she wouldn't mind." She said.

"First, I can't spend Christmas with 'Mum'. Second, and if you haven't noticed this by now your observation skills are rather lacking, I can't do anything that would make them think that I'm 'great'. I'm not talented. I don't have people skills. People don't like me. I don't like people. It kind of works the same way my family does."

"First, why not. Second, if you don't like people then what am I, a dead walrus? Third, you do have people skills and that in itself is a talent." Lily responded.

"Name three."

"Well, you can carry on an intelligent conversation. It's not always cheery but..."

"You're coming close to making a negative comment, Lily."

"Right. You, um... You have an active, if bizarre sense of humor."

"So I'm bizarre, depressing, and under the impression that you're a walrus? Wow, I guess I do have all the qualities of a people person, Lily." Aubrieanna said with mock enthusiasm.

"And you have leadership abilities." Lily concluded.

"And you have the ability to be really corny."

"Seriously Aubrieanna, people listen to you. On that rare occasion when you're forced to be in a group, you're always the one initiating something. Granted, it's usually a fight with one of those idiotic 'Marauders' or a weird discussion, or people dancing around like heathens for the Gryffindor parties, but people listen to you. They don't always obey, but the do listen. _I _listen to you. Seriously, sometimes when you talk to a group of people you remind me of a Queen or something. Maybe you could become Minister of Magic..."

After a quick bit of still irritated laughter Aubrieanna said, "I doubt I'll become Minister of Magic."

"Yeah well, if you survive break I'll start making your campaign posters."

"Good luck with that." She said before sighing. "I'm going to get ready for bed. Maybe this will be an instance where I'll go to sleep and wake up with things all better." Aubrieanna said without much conviction, before heading off to take a shower.

"Before you go," Lily said, "I need some help looking for Christmas gifts, and since you're going home, it sounds like you do too. Want to go to Hogsmede with me?"

"Why not?" Aubrieanna said, smiling in way that was neither joyful or amused. "I might as well enjoy myself before I die from pepper withdrawal."


	11. In Which We Begin Break

**Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, I wouldn't be on FanFiction, now would I?**

**Author's Note: I know that this hasn't been updated in a long while, (and I apologize a thousand times over) but that's partly because of the amazing lack of reviews. Also, blame basketball, family, and ninth grade in general. I should be back to writing regularly now though... I hope. Megan will help me if I get stuck, won't you Megan? Also, I would have thought that somebody would have said something about the title, but no one did, which kind of worries me because it makes me think that it was a bad idea. Was it? Unless you review I'll never know.**

A sudden jerk of the train woke Aubrieanna. Reluctantly, she lifted her head, squinting in the almost-afternoon sun. Across from her, Lily was sprawled out on the bench, her red hair resting on the glass of the window. Aubrieanna's feet were still propped up on the seat that Lily was lying on, which was surprising given how poor her balance usually was.

Both of the girls in the compartment were exhausted. It was hardly surprising, the shopping at Hogsmeade had been particularly grueling, almost as much as the nasty essay for Slughorn that they had both let lie until the last minute. After they had carried their purchases back to the castle, they had been up almost all night packing. It would have been easy to blame the amazing amount of clutter that had accumulated in their room for holding up their packing, but, in truth, neither of the had been enthusiastic about the task. Aubrieanna was dreading the pepper-less dinners with her relatives, and Lily was still horrified by the hideous bridesmaid dress that she had packed at the absolute last moment, perhaps in the hopes that it wouldn't fit in her trunk.

Aubrieanna didn't blame her, the aforementioned dress was a true abomination. The pink satin bodice and skirt was attached to a floral lace almost like a leech attaches to a screaming piglet. The lace not only crept half-way up Lily's neck, but tried to strangle her wrists in over-dramatic ruffles. Even the shoes had an obnoxious lace bow at the toe.

There was a word for that thing: a monstrosity.

While Lily had been avoiding packing the dress, Aubrieanna was trying to decide which blouse would be more appropriate for Christmas Dinner, Slytherin green or Gryffindor red. To comply or not to comply? To rebel or not to rebel?

In the end, she packed both.

Along with the shirts, Aubrieanna's trunk contained two small, impersonal gifts for her family. There were school supplies for her half-brother, and several pairs of dress socks for her father. She only had one other gift left to give; any presents that were going to her friends back home had already been sent (and they included such curiosities as the surviving pieces of a violent wizard's chess match and the snitch that she had nicked from James Potter when his attention was on Lily. She didn't feel bad about it in the slightest, everyone knew that he had knicked it from the school's supplies in the first place). For Lily she had gotten a copy of _Hairy Snout, Human Heart_ as she knew for a fact that Lily had checked it out no less that eight times this semester alone.

The result of all of the packing, shopping, and wrapping had been falling asleep only a few hours before it was time to drag their trunks downstairs and board the train. As such, the girls dozed for most of the rest of the train ride, both waking only when the trolley passed, but even then only long enough to eat about half a pasty each before they began drifting off again. Only when the train began to slow down did both of the girls wake up completely.

Lily looked briefly out of the window, stretching as she did so. "Hmm.." , she yawned, "I expect we'll be arriving in a half hour or so."

"Time flies when you're fast asleep." Said Aubrieanna, irritability trying to rid her foot, which had fallen asleep, of pins and needles.

After a few minutes of silence, Aubrieanna levitated her trunk down from the rack and opened it, searching for only a moment or two before she located what she wanted. "Happy Christmas, Lily." She said, thrusting a poorly wrapped package at the red-head.

Lily, in return, removed an envelope out of her purse and tossed it at Aubrieanna, who caught it smirking.

"Shall we open them now or later?" She asked.

"Now, naturally." Lily grinned.

As Lily carefully removed all of the tape from the paper, slowly unwrapping her gift, Aubrieanna wrestled with the envelope in a bizarrely murderous manner. For some unknown reason, she had never been able to open them neatly, and this particular envelope was no exception. By the time Aubrieanna got to the slip of paper with in, she was surrounded by bits of paper that had once been part of the mutilated envelope. Upon reading it, she grinned.

"A subscription to the Daily Prophet? Is this a hidden message, Lily."

"Yes it is, and it screams 'Don't steal my paper anymore'." She laughed as she finally pulled the last of the clinging wrapping paper from the gift, exclaiming as she did so, "Thank you so much! When Madame Prince told me I couldn't check it out anymore I was worried I'd have to use my prefect duties for evil and confiscate it from the younger students."

"And we just couldn't have you misusing your powers now, could we?"

"No of course not." Lily laughed as the train slowed even more. Both of them lurched when the train jerked to a halt.

They looked at each other, neither wanting to get off the train, but neither could see a better option.

"Well..." Aubrieanna said, beginning to lug her trunk to the compartment door, "I supposed I'd better go."

Lily nodded. "Happy Christmas."

"Same to you."

And with that, the girls separated each facing their dreads alone.

-----

Aubrieanna sat across from her father for their Christmas Eve dinner, studying him as they waited for her brother to appear. The dinner which was now growing cold, had been prepared by an eerily cheerful house elf and, while it appeared delicious, she knew she would have a hard time choking down cold food. Her step-brother Myron was out doing some sort of deal with one of his friends. So far, Myron had been hostile to the extreme. Normally she would have gladly skipped a meal in order to not be forced to be in the same room with him. In fact, she had done so twice so far on this break alone. Tonight, however, she was hungry. As her stomach began to growl softly, she could only hope that Myron wasn't much later.

Her father broke the silence. "Has the first term gone well for you?" He asked carefully.

"Fairly." She replied. Then, after too long a pause said "Arithmany is great. Runes is fine for the most part. Potions is... challenging."

"I'm sure you do fine."

She shrugged.

"And how are your classmates. Any new friends?"

"Yeah, I suppose. It's inevitable to make friends when you're stuck in the same building with them every hour of every day."

"You are still allowed to go to Hogsmeade, correct?"

"On certain weekends. Once a month probably."

"Is that all? When I was in school we could go every weekend. Not that everyone did, but it was good to have options."

"Mmm. That's interesting." Aubrieanna replied.

"And how are your old friends? You know, back home."

"As good as can be expected."

"I suppose they would be missing you."

"Yes, they are, although why exactly I'm not sure."

Her father cleared his throat nervously, and Aubrieanna, suddenly and irrationally, felt a need to help continue the conversation.

"How has you year been so far?" She asked quietly.

"Me? Fine I suppose. I just file papers at the ministry. You knew that though, didn't you?" When Aubrieanna shook her head he continued. "Well, filing papers is filing papers. I'm looking for a promotion to become director of the archives, which essentially means that I delegate filing duties to other people, but other that that it's the same job I've been doing for the past eight years."

"Congratulations." Aubrieanna said, not sure if it was the right thing to say.

"For filing papers for eight years?" He asked, puzzled.

"No, for the promotion."

"Oh... Thank you."

Another pause. Across from Aubrieanna her father ran his fingers through his hair as he searched for something to say. "Your allowance is enough, I assume?" He asked suddenly.

The allowance he had been referring to was a decent sum of money that he sent to Aubrieanna every two weeks. At first, she had been loath to use it, but once Lily had found out and had accused her of being insanely proud and arrogant, comparing her to James Potter once even, she started to use it and had recently become very appreciative of it.

"Yes, of course it's enough. More that enough even. Thank you very much."

"Well, I knew that you could use something."

"Yes. Thank you... again..."

In another room an old grandfather clock chimed eight.

Her father began to unfold his napkin. "I don't suppose we should wait any longer. If your brother hasn't come by now then I doubt he'll come at all."

Obediently, for once, Aubrieanna began to dig in, helping herself to green beans, roasted potatoes, and roast beef. Eating it she noticed that all of the food contained pepper.

"There's pepper in all of this." She said before she could help herself.

"Why?" Her father asked. "Don't you like pepper? I know Myron claims not to, but if you cook food with it he never notices. I never thought that you might not like it..."

"No, pepper is fine. I can hardly stand a meal without it to be honest."

"Finally, something we have in common." Her father said, as he began to dig into his roast beef.

-----

Late that night, or early that morning, Aubrieanna found herself reflecting on her family. More specifically, on her father. Most specifically, how she was supposed to think of him.

He wasn't a _bad_ man. She knew that. She almost admired him, almost. He was normal, and normal wasn't something Aubrieanna could ever be. He was meek and quiet, unassuming with no distinguishing characteristics or talents. He was what Aubrieanna always thought of when she thought of something weak. She had managed to despise him for that, that and the fact that she needed something specific to despise.

The problem was, compared to her mother, he _was_ weak. He couldn't replace her. He just wasn't a leader. Her mother had been a leader to everyone. It was her talent, one that Aubrieanna was expected to have inherited, after all, her sister certainly had.

Her father was not what she needed. She couldn't see himself in him at all. Except for the fact that he liked pepper. That was a bit of a comfort.

And that's probably a good thing for him, all things considered.


	12. In Which a Sock Sings

"Oh the weather outside is frightful

But the fire is so delightful

And since we've no place to go

Let is snow, let is snow, let is snow!"

Aubrieanna turned her head to find the source of the cacophony coming from behind her the weather, which had consisted mainly of fog and slush and taken a sudden turn for the very, very cold and snowy. While it was difficult to see very much through the heavy snow fall even from where she stood at platform 9 & 3/4, which was shielded from much of the weather, she could see two vague shapes coming towards her. The shapes were hunched over against the cold and walking very briskly. It wasn't until the two shapes were within a few feet of her that she could recognize the green eyes burning with an angry flame that had nothing to do with the red hair surrounding them.

"Hey Lily!" Aubrieanna called waving. It wasn't until she recognized the apologetic stance of the second figure that she realized that the best idea would have been to run in the other direction as quickly as possible. James had successfully manage to enrage Lily before the second term had even begun.

"I'm sorry." She heard as the wind carried James's voice to her. "I read about Muggles using socks for decorations and I thought…:

"It's _stockings_ James, not socks. And stockings don't sing." Lily replied.

"The sock… Stocking… Whatever it is, it _doesn't _sing. The angel embellishments sing."

"The red-haired, green-eyed, _off-key_ angels?"

"They aren't off-key. Well, maybe the one playing the violin squeaks a little, but there are over one-hundred angels on that thing, each one capable of playing an instrument and singing independently. This is a one of a kind spell created just for you, and even if it doesn't work _exactly _as planned, it's the thought that counts."

"The thought that created a stocking that could compose Christmas music about whatever you happened to scream at it?"

Lily was getting dangerously quiet now, but James plodded bravely, though stupidly ahead. "Well, yeah. I was worried that you wouldn't figure that feature out, and Remus said it might be a little _too _much but I thought it gave it a little extra something extra."

"Well James I assure that everyone of the one-hundred sixty-two Muggles invited to my sister's wedding sure thought it was _something _when they heard my laundry basket screech out a song about how my sister was, and I quote, a 'rotten, rude Ice queen with a husband twice as mean.'"

"That's odd," James said, almost to himself, "It was supposed to only create Christmas Carols."

"The next line was 'One's face is red, the other's is green.'." Lily said bitterly.

"Oh, so it _was _working right! Well, apart from the whole following you thing and never shutting up, but that should let up after the twelve days of Christmas are over."

Then, Lily really lost it. "THAT'S NOT FOR ANOTHER TWO DAYS. IF YOU THINK I'M GOING TO CLASS WITH A SINGING SOCK FLOATING BEHIND ME, YOU HAVE ANOTHER THINK COMING JAMES POTTER!"

"Lily, dear, you admittedly did the floating thing yourself…"

"ONLY BECAUSE I WAS TRYING TO GET THIS STUPID THING TO SHUT UP! NOW, YOU HAVE TWO OPTIONS, SPENDING THE ENTIRE TRAIN RIDE DEVOTEDLY GETTING THIS THING TO STOP IT, OR DIEING A HORRIBLE, PAINFUL DEATH!" Suddenly, Lily got very quiet. "

"Yes m-mam." James stuttered, grabbing hold of the floating sock, which was now sing a composition that was failing miserably to fit "horrible, painful death" in to a cheery Christmas song, and forcefully dragging it away.

"Good." Lily said eerily as she turned to face Aubrieanna, painting a pained smile on her face that was twice as scary as the expression used when she had been screaming, and began to talk. "Hello Aubrieanna, how was your break?"

"Oh, you know." Aubrieanna said carefully. "Fairly uneventful. How about yours?"

"Well, I'm sure you heard. Between that _thing_ James sent me and the wedding from hell, it was grand."

"Lily, the entirety of Platform 9 & 3/4 heard how your summer went in excruciating detail."

"Lucky for me, the entirety of the Platform happens to be you. Was your vacation really so boring you came here three hours early in an attempt to end it?"

"You're here." Aubrieanna said pointedly.

"I have to be. Prefect duties and all. I'm one of the only ones who came home for Christmas this time."

"James is here."

"James is begging for mercy. Mercy, I might add, that will never, ever be shown."

"How kind of you."

"I know." Lily paused, readjusted her scarf so that it covered more of her face, and continued. "Now answer my question."

Aubrieanna sighed. "Well, it wasn't too bad. Could've been worse. It was very laid back, I guess, but not boring."

"So, what did you actually do?"

"Well, apart from avoiding dear half-brother Myron, I ate Christmas Eve Dinner with my father."

"Anything else?" Lily prodded.

"Well, I went to London on a bus and did the whole tourist package, courtesy of my father's Christmas gift of 7 Galleons. Went to Diagon Alley once or twice and did a bit of shopping and that's about it."

"You didn't hear from your mother then?" Lily asked, surprised.

"Well, no, but my friends from home sent me an entire book of letters and pictures, so I wasn't totally forgotten."

"And..." Lily pried, with the irritating tone of someone who knows more than they should.

"And what." Aubrieanna snapped.

"The necklace, the one that you're wearing, it's new."

"Yes, yes it is." Aubrieanna said slowly, worried where this was going.

"Who's it from?" Said Lily, who was either shivering due to intense cold or jumping rapidly in excitement.

"My friend back home."

"Is it a special friend?"

"Well, yeah, I guess so."

"What's his name?" Lily exclaimed. "How old is he? Is he cute?"

"My friend is an eighty-two year-old woman who is wrinkled and almost constantly smells like rotten smoke." Said Aubrieanna, backing away

"What?" Now Lily looked really confused.

"She's like…" Aubrieanna paused, looking for a way to explain it. "She's like the old rich aunt that no on really likes but everyone kind of loves except, instead of being rich, she's clinically insane."

"How is being insane like being rich?"

"Insanity can be quite useful." Aubrieanna retorted.

"Yeah but..." Lily looked disappointed. "So you didn't get the necklace from Remus?"

"Wha... No. No, I didn't. What would ever give you that idea."

"And not from another attractive young fellow?"

"No..."

"Oh..." Said Lily disappointedly, as Aubrieanna waited for her to figure out what she was talking about. "It's just that, it's so pretty and I thought maybe you had a boyfriend who had given it to you."

"Well I don't, it's some sort of amazing family amulet that and... Wait a second, you thought I had a boyfriend and your first thought was Remus?"

"Well you did go out on a date with him."

"It wasn't a date. It was a torturous occasion that we endured only on the threat of supreme embarrassment."

"Well, yeah, but..."

"And why do you even care?"

"Well, the thing is..." Lily looked around as if she was worried someone could eavesdrop on them over the howling wind in the deserted platform. "The thing is that I kind of like someone, and I was kind of hoping that you could help me... I don't know, get his attention."

Aubrieanna gaped at her. "That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. Period."

"Why?" Lily demanded, seeming confused and upset.

"I'm not exactly Miss Romance here Lily. In fact, if you look up my last name, it means 'of Death'. Death and romance only go together in Romeo and Juliet, which is not only completely overrated but also probably not what you want in a dream date."

"Did you have a boyfriend before you came here?" Lily demanded.

"Well, sort of. I mean, I had guys who were friends and I had guys who..."

Lily interrupted her. "Danced with you? Kissed you? Took you on a date or two?"

Aubrieanna shifted uncomfortably. "I guess..."

"Well I haven't. Not really. And I finally have figured out what guy I'd like, I mean, we really talked over break, but I can't ask _him _out and I don't know how to go about it at all." Lily tugged at her hair, frustrated.

Aubrieanna took a deep breath. _Is there _any _way at all I can get out of this? Thinking... Thinking. _Lily was obviously waiting for and answer and after seeing what happened to James...

. 

"Yes, Lily, I will help you." After struggling for air during a lung-crushing hug Aubrieanna asked continued. "But you can't harass me about it. And you have to answer two questions."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Firstly, who is this lucky crush."

"His name is Eric Munch. He's a sixth year Hufflepuff. He lives one town over. And his parents and mine get along so well… Although I don't think that they actually know he's a wizard, but he's is so sensitive and wonderful and was so nice to me at my sister's wedding. And he's a wonderful dancer. I new you would help me though. Just wait until you meet him he's so…"

"Great, wonderful." Aubrieanna said, wondering how she got herself into these things. "Second question," Aubrieanna said quickly. "Did anyone happen to buy you the book,

"No. Why? Do you recommend it?"

"No."

- - - - -

Shoved in a train compartment with both Lily and James was not the relaxing end to her vacation that Aubrieanna had been hoping for. James's spells were only beginning to muffle it's exciting and dramatic version of "Rudolf the Red-Nosed Niffler" and Lily was not even bothering to muffle the insults she was constantly throwing at him. Unfortunately, these insults were being introduced to the Christmas classic, causing Rudolf to be newly equipped with a "large, egotistical ass". About the time that the train actually started traveling towards the castle a frazzled and frozen looking Remus hobbled into the compartment. Taking a look around the compartment, his face was suddenly twisted into a look of deep irritation.

"Lily, I hate to be critical," He said, clearly out of breath. "But please tell me that you weren't sitting here the entire time arguing with James while I was the _only _prefect outside in the_ five degree weather_ in _three_ _foot deep snow_ trying to guide every single first and second year back to the train in a massive blizzard."

Lily looked away guiltily. "Were you really the only one... I thought that at least Prudock would be here..."

"Well he wasn't." Remus said, rather bitterly.

"I'm sorry, Remus." James interjected. "It's my fault. Apparently the magical decorative sock..."

"Stocking." said Lily.

"Whatever." James replied. "It is malfunctioning a bit."

"A genius spell of yours malfunction and being a major pain in my back? Wow, there's a new one for you." Remus said sarcastically.

Lily had by this time created a handheld warming spell and was carefully handing it to Remus. Remus accepted the peace offering muttering to himself under his breath, dropping down exhausted on the seat beside Aubrieanna.

"Stressful holidays?" Aubrieanna took a guess.

"Not particularly." Remus said, looking slightly less terrifying. "I didn't sleep much last night though." The dark circles under his eyes attested to this, and, although James looked at him worriedly, the rest of them dropped the subject.

"What about you, Aubrieanna?" Remus asked. "Did you visit California?"

"Um.. No." Aubrieanna shifted uncomfortably. "My father was in London. It was very... relaxed, I suppose."

"There are worse things." James said. "My mother had another one of her charity balls."

"Oh, a ball, how dreadful!" Exclaimed Lily sarcastically. "Because that's so much worse than you psycho sister's wedding to the most absolute oaf on the face of the planet."

"Have they been like this all day?" Remus asked Aubrieanna under his breath as James and Lily continued their banter.

"Well, it _is_ kind of their default mode."

"True." Remus sighed deeply and wrapped his scarf tighter around his neck in an effort to warm himself up. "If you don't mind..." Remus trailed off, unfolding an issue of the Daily Prophet.

"Not at all." Aubrieanna replied. Then she saw the front page.

Still Unsolved: Most Recent Massacre Takes Place in London on Christmas Eve

Aubrieanna sighed deeply. _Damn, _she thought


	13. In Which Romance Blossoms

Author's Note: First off, Deathly Hallows rocked. That aside, I'm really pushing to finish this before summer is out. Let me know what you think is happening, I wonder how many of you have figured it out yet?

Aubrieanna couldn't sleep. Again. In an attempt to distract herself, she recited the runic alphabet backward. Then she tried to recall all of the ingredients in a headache healing draft. It didn't matter, over and over in her head she heard snatches of her latest conversation with the Minister and Dumbledore. _Don't think about it, _she thought, _just forget it. You'll need sleep for tomorrow, or you'll fail _another _Herbology class. _In another attempt to distract herself, she turned the new and mysterious amulet in her hands, willing herself to get lost in the intricate veins of silver that ran through a transparent stone. She could not even interest herself in the _reason _she had been sent this gift by the notoriously manipulative Madame. Normally, this would have bothered her, but tonight there was a sense of dread invading every thought. The events of this evening had unsettled her greatly. She had not even had time to unpack her trunk before she had been fetched by McGonagall and brought to Dumbledore's office. The minister had been absolutely livid and his anger quickly spread through the room. Behind him were three wizards, faces emotionless and inhuman. Dumbledore stood behind his desk, hands folded in front of him.

"Miss Aubrieanna De'Muerta, how kind of you to join us." He said, voice full of venom. "I have with me a team of Aurors, ready to take your testimony of the event of December twenty-fourth."

"My testimony?" Aubrieanna said defensively. "You make it sound like I've done something wrong."

An Auror spoke from behind the Minister. "As of now, you are the chief suspect in a series of extremely gruesome murders. Your full cooperation would be highly recommended."

Aubrieanna glanced at Dumbledore who nodded minutely before replying.

"Christmas Eve I was eating dinner with my family."

"Until when?"

"I don't know. Late evening, I guess."

"How late?"

"Past eight, I suppose. Maybe until nine."

"And can anyone vouch for that?"

"Yeah, my father."

"Anyone else?"

"No."

"Any non-family members?"

"No."

"And, are you aware that in all probability this murder, which took place in a city only ten minutes by bus from your house, was committed between the hours of ten to eleven p.m.?"

"No, I was not."

"But you are aware," interrupted a second Auror, "That you purchased a month long bus pass three days before this crime."

"Yes, I am aware of that fact."

"It seems a rather odd thing to purchase as you were only intending to remain at home for a few weeks."

"I traveled to London quite frequently while I was there, by bus.."

"Is that so?" Asked the Minister, grinning slyly.

"Yes it is. I went to Diagon Alley, Big Ben, the Tower of London..."

"Only two streets down from the crime scene." Murmured an Auror, noting this fact on a piece of parchment.

"You know, this testimony almost sounds like an accusation." Aubrieanna said, glaring.

The Minister glared back. "That comment sounds like the defense of a guilty party."

"Well it's not."

"Miss Aubrieanna, I wish to inform you that in light of your statement issued here today you are hereby..."

"Hereby arrested?" Dumblebore said calmly

"Yes." Said the Minister coldly.

"But I was still under the impression that all citizens were innocent until proven guilty." Dumbledore responeded

"Excuse me Dumbledore, but Miss De'Meurta here is not actually a citizen of ours and is in fact a serious threat. I informed you from the moment that you proposed this plan of action that this criminal was dangerous. This has been proven and..."

"It's far from proven." Aubrieanna said sharply, but she was ignored.

"Quite frankly, Dumbledore, the fact remains that your opinion that this girl is innocent is not worth risking the lives of truly innocent citizens."

"The fact remains that you can only protect you citizens if the real murderer is found." Aubrieanna spat. "Arresting me and placing me in a cell in some dungeon under the Ministry of Magic won't do anything for you."

"Trust me when I say that whoever is behind this crime will go directly to Azkaban." The Minister said darkly.

"Enough." Dumbledore said quietly. "This accusation is out of place. I must ask you to cease with this line of questioning until you have more solid evidence."

"I'm afraid I can't do anything for you Dumbledore. This girl is a criminal and a danger and..."

"And one of my students. Now, if you don't mind Minister, I'm sure that you have business elsewhere."

The two men stood there, watching each other, until the Minister spun on his heel and left, Aurors following him.

As soon as the door was closed behind them, Dumbledore turned to face Aubrieanna. "Is what you told them the truth?"

"Yes."

"Then I think we will have to be very careful.. There is someone out there who is very, very dangerous Aubrieanna. Quite likely someone with a connection to you. And you don't know anything about it?"

"No. I don't know what's going on." She shook her head, frustrated.

Dumbledore looked down at her through his glasses. "Understand, Aubrieanna, that the Ministry will need someone to blame. That someone is you. Not one of their threats today was empty."

"I know."

"Then I must warn you, the Ministry will be watching for any slip-ups on your part." Dumbledore smiled at her. "Take great care."

"Shall try." Said Aubrieanna, leaving feeling very alone and shaken.

These feelings still hadn't left. She didn't think that they would for quite a while.

-----

Despite the fact that homework was piling up at an alarming rate in an attempt to prepare each and every fifth year student for their O.W.L.'s, Aubrieanna found it very hard to concentrate throughout the first few weeks of January. This could have had something to do with the fact that every morning she was scanning the Daily Prophet, praying that another murder had not taken place. Also, she found herself glancing over her shoulder every now and then, unable to shake the illogical feeling that one of the Aurors from Dumbledore's office was trailing her. Even with these distractions, Aubrieanna was pleased to see that she was not falling behind too badly in her work, and, while she managed to botch any practical Herbology lesson, she was even managing to scrape a few 'Exceeds Expectations' in potions class, although this was possibly due to the fact that Lily was now proofreading every homework assignment before she turned it in.

In exchange for Lily's proofreading services, Aubrieanna felt compelled to act upon her promise to help Lily with her quest concerning Eric Munch, boy of her dreams. After a few well placed threats, Aubrieanna had managed to convince Isaac Prudock to switch Prefect duties with Lily, allowing her to stalk the corridors looking for young miscreants with none other than _dearest_ Eric. Following this daring plan of action, everything began to fall shockingly into place. Eric began to walk with Lily to class, and was even known to eat the occasional lunch at the Gryffindor table. In turn Lily was showing up to an unusual number of Hufflepuff Quiditch practices, although she wouldn't even admit to Aubrieanna that she was there to watch a certain chaser. Unfortunately for Aubrieanna, Lily in love was a very unLily-like Lily. The girl couldn't help but gushing so often that, if Aubrieanna hadn't known Lily better, she would have called it a very annoying act. It didn't help that Lily kept discovering more and more wonderful things about Eric. Things like how he liked to play soccer as well as Quiditch, or how he was proud to be a Muggle-born and hoped that he would be able to improve Wizard's views of Muggles in the future, or how they were both born when Venus was in it's second house...

Despite these annoyances, Aubrieanna was happy, and that was making her very, very concerned. It was all too easy; potions, Lily, the lack of alarming headlines, something bad had to happen eventually.

Which is why, when Lily burst into their dorm one night after Prefect duties barely able to breathe, Aubrieanna jumped quickly to her feet grabbing her wand and ensuring that her back was to the wall.

This defensive maneuver did not work as well as she had planned, particularly when Lily ran over to her crushed her is a particularly violent hug, and spun her around, grinning so widely that Aubrieanna was astounded that her face could even fit inside the room.

"You are an amazing, amazing friend." Lily exclaimed, still not letting go of Aubrieanna.

"Thank you..." Aubrieanna gasped, struggling to breathe. "And you realize this now because..."

"He asked me!"

"Who asked you?"

"Eric, dearest, darling Eric!"

"Asked you what..."

"To Hogsmeade! Where else?"

"Sorry the lack of oxygen tends to effect my thinking process." Aubrieanna said as Lily finally let go of her. She took a deep breath before she remembered something. "Isn't the next Hogsmeade trip on Valentine's day?"

"That's what I said."

"When?"

"Not to you, to Eric."

"And he said?" Aubrieanna replied is a shockingly girly tone. She blamed Lily's bone-crushing hug.

"He said that that was kind of the point."

"And then?" Aubrieanna exclaimed.

"Then..." Lily smiled suspiciously. "Then he kissed me."

"You're kidding me!"

"Absolutely not. He kissed me. And asked me to wear his scarf at the next Quiditch match."

"The Hufflepuff vs. Gryffindor one?" Aubrieanna replied. "Dear, dear Lily, house betrayal, this must be serious."

"It is. I am. And so is he..." Lily trailed off collapsing on the bed, still smiling. "And he's kind, and a gentleman, and so polite, and absolutely wonderful..."

"Extremely attractive..." Aubrieanna put in.

Lily grinned. "That too. And he is smart, and funny, and..."

Aubrieanna couldn't help but grinning herself as she listened to Lily rattling off the one-hundred and one marvelous traits of Eric Munch. Even still, in the back of her mind a sense of growing danger lingered.

-----

Not everyone in the Gryffindor tower was as delighted with this latest development between Lily and Eric. In fact, one person seemed generally peeved and out of sorts every time someone brought it up: James Potter. Lily denied it of course, but Aubrieanna could see that he was fuming.

The fact that he constantly looked like he was about to vomit toads was one clue.

The rash of malicious pranks against certain Hufflepuffs was the second.

Only three nights after Eric asked Lily to go to Hogsmeade, a mysterious gas was found in the Hufflepuff's sixth year boy's dorm. This gas caused skin discoloration, specifically of the bright magenta nature. Also, Eric's bag was apparently needing some major repairs, because every time he walked his dear Lily to a class the seams would rip out of it. This, of course, only caused Lily to stop and help him pick things up, causing James's eyes to flash very dangerously as he passed them. James seemed almost obsessed with torturing Eric, so much so that for an entire week there he failed to harass the bane of his existence, Severus Snape. Snape was the only person who seemed to take as much offense to Lily's relationship with Eric as James had, although, Aubrieanna reminded herself, that probably had more to do with his general unpleasantness than anything. At any rate, Snape's sneers were most likely only more prominent because, for once, he didn't have to feel social humiliation every time his was caught lurking in a public corridor. James was far too preoccupied to worry about Snape's offenses as he continued to cause excessive amounts of havoc that was obviously aimed at Eric.

These malicious pranks became more and more frequent ask it drew closer to the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor Quiditch game. Soon, even Lily was managing to see that something was amiss, although personally, Aubrieanna thought that this particular effect of James's actions was to be applauded as it forced Lily to act more like herself and less like the star of some hokey teen romance movie.

By the time the Quiditch game rolled around, however, not even Lily could ignore the problem anymore.

The game started off as well as could have been expected. James glared almost evilly at the opposing team, but that was nothing new here. In fact, it was the first time in days that Aubrieanna had felt truly secure in the fact that Eric was safe from Potter. James loved Quiditch, and he would never, ever do anything that would damage his chances of winning the house cup. So, while Lily sat over with a few Hufflepuff friends of hers, waving a yellow and black striped scarf madly in the air, Aubrieanna was oddly relaxed. She had opted to sit with her own house, with Remus to her right and Peter to her left, and Sirius two **seats** down, wary of flying gobstones.

From the moment that the Quaffle was released, it promised to be a good game. The seekers were darting this way and that while the keepers and chasers passed the ball so quickly that it was almost impossible to keep up with. Suddenly, in a mad break-away, Eric got possession of the Quaffle. He was almost in scoring range when, out of nowhere, a red streak came flying at him. Eric dropped the Quaffle in an attempt to avoid being hit. In doing so however, he almost fell off his broom. The red streak, now revealed to be James, was caught the Quaffle, streaking towards the opposite team's goal. He scored almost effortlessly, but was rewarded with loud jeers on all sides. Not even the Gryffindor students cheered as they looked at one another, obviously confused. James never played like this, _ever_. It was too malicious. It almost made him seem like a... Slytherin.

In fact, every time Eric came close to the Quaffle, James was there to thwart him, in the most despicable manner possible. Somehow, he managed not to foul Eric, but only on mere technicalities. Soon, the beaters were involved, both teams trying to protect their valuable players. Suddenly, just has Hufflepuff had scored their second goal, the seekers started to weave rapidly through the players. The snitch had been sighted, and everyone in the crowd watched intently, hoping that the end to this violent game was near. While all eyes followed the seekers, watching carefully to see who would manage to catch the snitch, a loud thud was heard near the center of the field.

Eric was lying in the center of the field knocked from his broomstick. Flying a mere ten feet above him was James.


	14. In Which We Eavesdrop

**Disclaimer (because one hasn't been up in a while): I do not own Harry Potter. Not even in my wildest dreams.**

Aubrieanna's arm was numb. She expected that the silence of the room would have numbed her brain if it hadn't been for the sheer amount of horror and confusion. For the past three hours, she had stood with a shaking Lily outside the hospital wing. Aubrieanna was still unsure of whether the shaking was from fear or anger, but Lily's reaction to the event had been so intense that Aubrieanna had been terrified to leave her. For the past three hours, she had stood with Lily outside the hospital wing, feeling her friend's trembling fingernails digging into her right arm. Now she was sitting in a too-quite common room, waiting for Lily to return from taking the calming draught that Professor Slughorn had made for her. Aubrieanna had tried to follow her, particularly as she had been fetched by the unsavory Slytherin, Severus Snape, but Snape had been adamant that the potion would work best if Lily was not being crowded by others.

Lily hadn't disagreed with Snape's explanation, so Aubrieanna had assumed it to be true, and Slughorn loved Lily, so she would be completely safe in his office...

_If she ever gets there. _Said the cynical little voice in Aubrieanna's head. She checked her watch. Lily had been gone for a half-hour. How long did it take for a calming draught to actually begin to take effect? Aubrieanna knew that she should know this, but no matter how hard she racked her brains all she remembered about calming draught s was 'bring to a boil for seventeen and a quarter minutes, stirring counter-clockwise'. 

Aubrieanna searched the common room for something to distract her from her pointless worrying, but everyone that was left sitting there seemed to be in a similar state of mind. The Gryffindor common room, famous for it's boisterous parties following victorious Quidditch matches, was comatose. Even Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black, who were frequently a source of cheer in even depressing situations, were completely silent, wondering exactly what kind of trouble their friend was in.

As it got later and later, the common room's occupants slowly climbed up the stairs to prepare for bed. Aubrieanna again checked her watch, and her suspicions grew. Few potions took much more than an hour to begin to work, and Lily had been gone longer than that. Aubrieanna stood and climbed out of the portrait hole, thankful for finding an excuse to move as she moved quietly through the corridors. There were still a few minutes for her to be wandering the halls without getting into trouble, but attracting attention still didn't seem like the thing to do tonight.

Aubrieanna's walk to the dungeons was a quick one and soon she was standing outside the door to Professor Slughorn's office, listening to two voices inside.

"All the same," Slughorn's voice was audible even while being muffled by a heavy wooden door, "I was shocked that the students have reacted as well as they did. After all, Eric was quite a popular fellow, and for James Potter to act like this is extremely confusing. Still, I haven't been asked to mix up a single calming potion." He paused before adding thoughtfully, "Although, I suppose that it is likely that there is a fairly large supply of that sort of thing in the hospital wing."

Aubrieanna recognized Professor Flitwick's distinctive squeak. "Has there been any news on what actually happened to the boy?"

"Well, it certainly appeared that it was a simple accident, but Dumbledore did summon for Professor Hyant a few hours ago, so it is possible that Dark Arts may have been involved."

"The real question I have, is to exactly what extent Mr. Potter was involved in all of this." Aubrieanna heard Flitwick say as she turned to leave the dungeons. Lily wasn't in Slughorn's office. She had never even been sent for, and if she wasn't there, where was she and what exactly did Snape want with her? Lily and Snape had certainly left the hospital wing in the general direction of the dungeons, but they could have gone almost anywhere from there. Aubrieanna didn't bother checking the Library or the Great Hall, if Snape was going to harm Lily, then he certainly wouldn't have done so in such a public part of the castle. Instead, she started to run towards the entrance hall and out on to the Hogwarts Grounds.

Waiting for her eyes to adjust to the sudden darkness, Aubrieanna listened carefully for signs of movement, and was rewarded by the sound of two fast-approaching sets of footsteps. As the two people drew closer, Aubrieanna was relieved to recognize Lily's voice hissing angrily at someone.

"I still fail to see how exactly any of this concerns you." She spat.

"It concerns me because Munch is a complete moron and Potter is clearly dangerous." Said a voice that was almost familiar. Aubrieanna tried hard to remember who the voice belonged to, but there was so much emotion in it that it was impossible to tell.

"Oh, and your friends are much better."

"I've told you, Lily, they aren't friends. They're... allies." The footsteps stopped.

"Whatever you're calling them, you act more like them everyday. You're so worried all the time, and so angry. And about what? You won't tell me. Every time I ask you about it you avoid the question and you lie about it! Every since the end of last year you've been impossible."

"For God's sake Lily, I can't tell you what's going on. It's just big, very big and it doesn't concern you. What I want to know, what I need to talk to you about, is why you aren't listening to the advice I gave you over Christmas. I specifically told you to keep your head down, to try to detach yourself from those Muggles, and there you are in the middle of a massive party..."

"Those Muggles are my family. You've met them. You know how much they mean to me. And the party was my sister's wedding! How was I not supposed to go?"

"I'm telling you once and for all Lily, you _have _to stop all this."

"Stop what? Seeing my family? Just because they're Muggles?" Lily demanded.

"It's not like that Lily, really."

"I suppose that's your problem with Eric too? That he's a Muggle-born."

"My problem with Eric is that being around him is dangerous right now."

"Why? Just because Potter knocked him off his broom you're worried about me? That's sweet, really" Lily said, almost bitterly.

"Think about it for a minute. Eric Munch has been in the hospital wing for over seven hours now. There is more going on than a simple concussion."

"That doesn't put me in danger."

"Lily, I keep telling you, _every_ Muggle-born is in danger. I can't understand why, after all my warnings you would even consider going out with someone who openly declares he has Muggles for parents."

"Possibly because, in case it slipped your mind, my parents are Muggles too. It's never bothered you before, I can't understand why it would bother you now."

"I know what your parents are Lily. But I also know that things are changing. Look at the news. There are more murders, more missing people than ever. What didn't used to bother me..."

"So I'm not good enough to be seen with you now? Or are you just afraid?"

"I'm not afraid!" For the first time the voice sounded truly angry. After a heavy pause he continued, his voice carefully controlled. "It's not you either. It's who you're hanging around with. Munch alone is bad enough, but you're new friend Demura or whatever..."

"Aubrieanna De'Muerta. She's a good friend. And her father is pure-blood so I don't see why you should care..."

"What about her mother? No one knows anything about her. You're friend is more than likely part troll or hag or something. It's not just her though. It's Coleworth, the Pewits, Lupin. and let's not forget _dear_ Potter."

"I don't hang around Potter. He hangs around me."

"Regardless, his family hasn't been in good graces with the rest of the pure-bloods for fifty years."

"So what are you saying? That I should refuse to speak to all my friends just because you are too ashamed to speak with me?"

"I'm saying that you're making yourself a target. A very prominent one. It needs to stop."

"Or what? You and all of the other foul-mouthed, high-and-mighty Slytherin will come and get me?"

There was a pause. Aubrieanna shrunk deeper into the shadows as she heard one set of footsteps coming closer to her. As they reach the door the figure turned and spoke again.

"Like I said, you're a target." The face of Severus Snape was visible for just a few moments before he slipped back inside the castle.

-----

Aubrieanna was had waited until Lily had went back inside the castle to make an attempt to get back to the Common Room. She took the least direct route possible, not wanting to run into Lily until she had had a chance to think about what she had just seen. Lily and Snape knew each other. They knew each other _well_ from the sound of it, which was utterly bizarre as they were never _ever _seen together. But Aubrieanna had only known Lily a year, and from what Lily said they had started growing apart at the beginning of last year. Still, it sounded like Snape knew something more than Lily did.

Aubrieanna racked her brains, trying to remember anything else about the conversation she had just overheard. _'There is more going on than a simple concussion'... _What did Snape think was going on? Slughorn had mentioned something about Professor Hyant, the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, but he would only be needed if there was a curse or a jinx involved. Which, now that Aubrieanna had thought about it made more sense than Potter physically knocking Eric off of a broom. Eric was a good flyer, and James would have only had a split second to act. But a split second would be plenty for James to cast a spell. It seemed odd, James casting a dark spell on another student, in full view of the entire school. Certainly illogical, and James wasn't stupid. Somewhere from the back of her mind Aubrieanna remembered someone telling her that James's father had been an Auror, and if that was true, it would hardly seem right for James to use any dark arts at all.

One other thing was nagging at the back of Aubrieanna's mind. Snape had said that there more disappearances and killing than ever. Was he just referring to the Fayne murders? There had been other deaths reported in the newspaper, Aubrieanna remembered, but none of them were quite so gruesome. Back home it was completely normal for the obituaries to be filled with deaths of less-than-natural causes, so she hadn't been shocked. But if these deaths in the wizarding world were unusual, than it would appear that something was wrong.

Aubrieanna remembered a few weeks ago, when a fellow fifth year Ravenclaw student had been informed of the death of both of her parents. It was still unknown what exactly had taken place, but the important thing, the thing Aubrieanna would remember, was the look of pain on ht face of the Ravenclaw girl. Aubrieanna had seen that look so many times that she would have hoped she would have become caullose to it all. It hadn't happened yet.

As Aubrieanna buried herself in increasingly more troubling thoughts, she took a wrong turn, leading her away from the common room and back towards a large statue near Dumbledore's office. Very suddenly, she heard footsteps that were very close to being upon her. Darting behind the statue very quickly, she held her breath as she hoped that whoever was there would hurry off. There were two people whispering intently as they slowly, agonizingly slowly, it seemed, made their way up the corridor.

"I believe you mate, really I do. All I want to know is, are you _sure_ of what you saw." The voice was very soft, but recognizable none-the-less as Sirius Black's.

"I didn't knock Munch off his broom, and I didn't jinx him. Dumbledore's proved that much with Prior Incantatem. And Munch, annoying sod that he is, is a good enough flyer that he didn't just fall off. I don't know what exactly happened, but there was dark magic involved, I saw some sort of spell come towards him, and we were flying near the Slytherin end of the field." This voice undeniably belonged to James.

"But you see what I'm saying, don't you? It's not proof."

"Yes, but when Munch finally woke up twenty minutes ago, he said the same thing. One of those slimy, greasy Slytherin were trying to pin his attack on me. And if you don't believe me..."

"I've already told you I believe you. I just doubt that everyone else will." He paused. "My point is that, as there is no real proof, the teachers can't give out a real punishment." Sirius's voice had taken a mischievous tone.

James seemed to notice this. "So what you're saying is..."

"Give the Slytherin what they deserve. And we should be twice as awful to dear Snivillus. He is, after all, the Slytherin Prefect and should do a better job keeping his housemates in line..."

Aubrieanna strained her ears to catch the rest of the conversation, but it was no good. She doubted that it would be exceptionally useful. She had already heard the most important thing: Even Eric Munch wasn't blaming his attack on Potter, which undoubtedly meant that Snape was right and that there was serious danger afoot.


	15. In Which We Picnic

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor will I ever.**

**Author's Note: Good news! I have quite a few chapters already written and waiting to be uploaded, so this story should be completed soon. Bad news, I will be going on a trip soon, so I won't be able to upload anything. Anyway, here's the story.**

Aubrieanna looked up as a loud bang erupted from the Slytherin table. Normally the large quantity of turquoise boils spreading rapidly among them would have made her laugh, or at least smirk. This morning, however, she was too tired and worried to even do that. She had spent all night pacing the Gryffindor common room, wondering what was going on and desperate to confront Lily about what she had overheard. Unfortunately, she had a whole day without the distractions of classes to give herself stomach ulcers, and Lily, normally a morning person, was nowhere in sight. Finally, accepting that Lily wasn't going to come down, she decided to walk past the hospital wing and see if she could catch Lily there.

She was not disappointed. Lily, who looked like a mirror image to Aubrieanna's exhausted self, was sitting next to Eric Munich's bed, watching him eat breakfast. She thought she had caught Lily's eye for a moment, but saw no reaction from the red-head at all. Finally condemning herself to an overload of homework, which would at least give her something else to think about, Aubrieanna spread her many books out on a table in the common room, and attempted to study. The teachers were insisting on assigning mountains of homework, and Aubrieanna didn't want to have to have to think about them when she visited Hogsmeade next weekend. Shocked by her own diligence, Aubrieanna managed to plough through her assignments a quite an acceptable pace. She worked up until lunch, and was intending to work through the meal, when the common room would be at its quietest, until she saw two figures walking through the portrait hole, caring a massive quantity of food.

"Peter? Sirius? What are you doing?" She asked, frowning.

"Um..." They said, exchanging looks. "We're having a picnic." Sirius declared.

"A picnic?" Aubrieanna inquired.

"In our dorm room." Sirius clarified, then, realizing how stupid he must sound asked, rather defensively, "Why, what are you doing?"

"Having a tea party. With my books."

"Well, have fun then." Sirius replied, attempting to walk off. Unfortunately for him, Peter decided to speak up.

"How's Lily?" He said, while Sirius glared at him.

"I couldn't tell you." Aubrieanna replied honestly, then after a disbelieving look from both Sirius and Peter elaborated. "I mean, at first she was pretty shook up, but we haven't talked since Eric woke up."

"Right, well thanks." Sirius said, again trying to steer Peter off. Peter was not to be deterred, however.

"What I mean to ask is, is she angry at James?" He continued, as Sirius smacked him over the head.

"Peter, you idiot. Of course she's mad at James. And Aubrieanna is going to be mad at him too, because she, like the entire school, thinks he knocked Eric Munch off his broom with his amazing mental powers." Sirius hissed.

"But you said that Lily would believe him. And if Aubrieanna confirms that, then James will cheer up, leave the dormitory, and get his own lunch." Peter replied.

"Peter, I was _lying_." Sirius said, irritated.

"Not entirely." Aubrieanna said simply.

"What do you mean?" Sirius's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"I believe that James didn't do it. I'm not angry at him. In fact, I'll go tell him this right now."

"You are just doing this to mess with my head." Sirius stated, glaring.

"No, I am doing this because you have food, and if I cheer James up, you will feed me."

Sirius opened his mouth, sure to emit another scathing remark, but Peter cut him off.

"If you improve his mood just by a little, miniscule amount, you can have your weight in scones." Peter replied, and Aubrieanna followed him and a disgruntled Sirius up to the boy's room.

-----

The place looked like a scene from a grisly horror movie. This was surely where the legendary mutant hill-billies of Hogwarts had ripped poor, defenseless socks, sweaters, and sandwiches to shreds. Aubrieanna tiptoed cautiously through the hazardous mess, listening as Remus read articles from the Daily Prophet aloud.

"...'The ministry is doing all it can to assure that these disappearances are investigated fully.' And look James, they mention your father." A pile of chocolate wrappers, pillows, and a homemade quilt twitched. "'Mr. Potter, of the Magical Law Enforcement Office states that they are currently looking into several possibilities and will be sure to keep the wizarding world updated with any new information.'"

"All that means," The pile said, is that Dad doesn't have a clue what the hell's going on."

"Now that sounds just a bit cynical, James." Sirius said. "Eat your lunch before you get even grumpier."

"I'm not grumpy." James objected. "I'm disgraced, hated, and depressed, but not grumpy."

"Yeah, whatever." Sirius replied. After a pause he continued in a rather disdainful voice. "Peter here brought you a visitor."

From somewhere beside the quilt, along with what may have been a piece of moldy fruit, the head of James Potter appeared.

"Oh, it's you." He said, before disappearing again. "Has Lily asked you to come throw things at me?" He asked, sounding completely defeated.

"Nope. I just came for lunch." Aubrieanna said simply.

James reappeared. "Why aren't you mad at me?" He asked, confused.

"Because you didn't do anything. You were just in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with a very bad reputation about the whole thing. I've been there enough." She remembered her recent conversation with the Minister and scowled.

"Oh." He said, sounding vaguely worried by the expression on Aubrieanna's face. Nevertheless, he removed himself from the pile completely and started helping Peter, who was clearing a place for the five of them to eat on the floor. "Well, thanks."

"Don't mention it. Just remember to back me up if I get blamed for murder or something." Aubrieanna said, sad to remember that she was only half-joking.

"Not a problem. So has..." James started, but Remus seemed to choose this time to interrupt. "Have you managed to complete that Runes homework?"

"Just finished it before I came up here. What a nightmare. It's the Arithmancy homework that I'm really concerned about though."

"I still need to finish that essay on Respiocous Bulbs for Herbology." Sirius interjected.

"_There's_ a class I'm just giving up on." Aubrieanna stated. "I'm not aiming for anything more than passing."

"What about your O.W.L.'s?" Peter asked.

"Living things and I, we just don't get along too well. There's a reason I didn't sign up for Care of Magical Creatures."

"Good thinking Aubrieanna." James interjected. "So has Lily..."

"Yeah, well all of you should be thanking yourselves that you didn't sign up for Muggle Studies." Sirius said.

"I thought you and Peter said that that class would be a piece of cake." Remus replied.

"It is, that's why I'm taking it. Only now we're reading Muggle literature, and it's just _so_ boring. Charles Dickens, my personal nightmare."

"Well, just think, after May these O.W.L.'s will finally be done, and we can get some sleep." Aubrieanna said.

"Thank God for that." Sirius said.

"WHAT DOES LILY THINK HAPPENED!" James shouted very quickly.

Aubrieana shifted uncomfortably while Remus and Sirius exchanged glances. "We haven't really talked about it much." She finally replied.

"What do you mean?"

"Well what with the initially shock, and then... I mean, we haven't really seen each other, and..."

"Have some food." Sirius said, before shoving an entire roll into her mouth.

"Lily absolutely despises me, doesn't she?"

"No!" Aubrieanna managed to exclaim around to roll.

"Of course not!"

"Absolutely ridiculous." Peter, Sirius, and Remus said at once.

"Not that I know of..." Aubrieanna said, earning herself three very angry glares and on woeful stare. "And don't worry, she has a lot on her mind right now. Throwing things at you is _way _down on the priority list."

"Mmmm..." James said, but he didn't sound too pleased.

"So, the Slytherin table this morning was you, right?" Aubrieanna asked, trying to change the subject.

"Yeah, it was a really complicated charm we placed on their..." Peter started, before James glared at him. "I mean, ask us no questions, we'll tell you no lies."

"Quite right." Sirius said. "Now, who wants dessert?"

-----

Aubrieanna managed to finish most of her homework that afternoon and remained in a fairly good mood. The rumors around the school were all indicating that Eric was recovering rapidly, although there was still some debate as to _what_ he was actually recovering from. The most realistic theory concerned James bewitching a bludger to fracture Eric's skull, but Aubrieanna was firmly supporting a second-year's speculation that James had trained an Augurey to dive-bomb Eric (in broad daylight, naturally) while screeching, resulting in a coma. However, whether Eric had suffered from fracture, coma, or seizure due to rotten pumpkin juice, the overall consensus was that he'd be back in class as soon as he got over the shock of the event.

Lily, however, seemed to have missed this abundance of good news, as she remained sullen all through dinner and went to bed shortly after, however Aubrieanna knew that she wasn't asleep when she went up, due to the lack of sleep-mumbling.

Lily continued to ignore Aubrieanna all through the week, barely speaking to her and hardly ever staying in the same room if Aubrieanna tried to talk to her. The only consolation was that this treatment was being distributed to everyone, with the exception of Eric, whom Lily visited with regularity and managed to not only carry on a conversation but act cheerful.

On Saturday the fifth year's girl dormitory heard its first real conversation, following a week of almost total silence.

"You going to Hogsmeade, Lily?" Aubrieanna asked, curtly

"No, I'm visiting Eric again."

"Well then, I'll see you at dinner."

"Likewise."

And with that, Aubrieanna walked out of the door, down the stairs, and joined the rest of the students planning on visiting Hogsmeade.

----

thought bitterly, _Is how many _couples _there would be out today._ People kept pouring out of the shops hand in hand, and the entire town seemed to have been taken over by technicolor hearts. Ducking into The Three Broomsticks, Aubrieanna bought a butterbeer and headed for a table in the back, away from the garlands of red and pink. 

"When will people learn that internal organs are not appropriate decor?" A familiar voice said.

"Sirius, stop being cynical."

"No, let him. Something has to even out the overwhelming amount of cheeriness." Aubrieanna said, pulling over a chair to where, Sirius, Mundungus, and Remus were all sitting together.

"Aubrieanna," Dung said by way of a greeting, "Long time, no see."

"Well, what with the upcoming O.W.L.'s, and all..."

"Glad I'm done with those. I even managed to pass three of them." He replied. "Anyway, no need to make excuses for ignoring me. You've been busy, I've been busy, and... Say, you wouldn't happen to need the answers to the upcoming Arithmancy test, would you, because I knicked the wrong answer sheet, and Remus here is too noble to buy them so..."

"Thanks, but that's one class I can definitely pass." Aubrieanna replied. "So what is this? Everyone else here has a date and here are you three. I mean, you're only slightly repulsive..."

"It's the Dignify the Death of an Esteemed Saint by Not Snogging Everything in Sight Club." Remus replied.

"Great, can I join?"

"You're here aren't you?" Dung replied. "Besides, we need more members. We've had a few... traitors this year."

"Really? Who?"

"Well, Richard had to take his girlfriend out, because it's her birthday. So, really that wasn't a betrayal." Sirius started.

"And James still isn't fit to be out in this much happiness. It'll only depress him." Remus added.

"But your friend Pettigrew went and got himself a girlfriend just for the occasion." Dung said darkly

"And a brat of a pure-blood to boot." Sirius added. "Imagine, a Gryffindor, one of _my _friends going out with that Elladora Bulstode. Idiotic Hufflepuff if I ever saw one."

"Now Sirius," Remus replied, "No need to be discharitable. Aubrieanna and I have Runes with her and quite frankly..."

"Quite frankly, she's been brainwashed by her pure-blood relatives. That makes her..."

"Evil?" Dung suggested.

"Dangerous." Sirius said. "But anyway, it's not like _Miguel _has a better excuse for not being here."

"I don't know. There's definitely something going on with him, but you could say the same for about three-quarters of the Slytherin House, so..." Dung trailed off. "So, did Lily ditch you to spend a romantic afternoon in the hospital wind?"

"You bet."

Remus looked concerned. "Is something wrong with her? I mean, more than we know about?"

"Not a clue."

"It's not what happened in Surry, is it?" Sirius suggested.

"Why? What's Surry got to do with anything?" Dung asked.

"Parents of a couple of girls that go to Beubaxtons were murdered last Wedneseday. It hasn't been as big of a deal as most of the other murders, since they were French, and not British citizens, but it was definately caused by the killing curse." Remus said.

"That would upset any Muggle-born in their right mind." Dung agreed.

Aubrieanna nodded grimly, but realized that this couldn't be what was wrong with Lily. At least it couldn't have been _all _of it. Nevertheless, Aubrieanna felt a pressing urge to get back to Hogswarts and talk to Lily.

"You know," She said, finishing her butterbeer and standing up. "If that's the case... I mean, if that's got Lily upset, maybe I should go talk to her."

"Well, mates, we've lost another one." Dung said, before getting up to order another drink.

-----

When Aubrieanna arrived back at the castle, she went up to the dormitory to drop off her cloak. To her surprise, the dorm was not empty, but inhabited by an extremely tearful Lily sprawled across her bed. When Lily heard the door shutting behind Aubrieanna, she sat up quickly and tried to wipe her face.

"You're... Um, you're back early." She said.

"Yeah well..." Aubrieanna had no idea what to say, and the silence was almost painfully awkward. "Um... Bad visit?"

"I haven't seen Eric yet today. I'm just... Too upset, I guess." Lily said.

"Yeah, well there's been a lot going on. I mean with Eric and..."

"Eric... God I feel awful about that..."

"Lily, it's alright. Eric's going to be fine, and it was just a stupid accident."

"It was not a stupid accident, it was an attack. We were just too big a target, two popular Muggle-borns. I should have known better. I _did _know better, but..."

"But you like him. It's okay, Lily. No lasting damage, and when they figure out _who_ did this, they'll be punished, and everything will be back to normal."

"But that's the think, it won't. Look at the news. Something absolutely awful is happening, and I just... I just need to take advice and keep my head down." She sounded absolutely defeated.

"Lily, if you just let these things keep you from people you want to be with, then these monsters who keep doing all of this will have won."

"That's the worst thing about Eric..." Lily looked like she was about to cry again.

"Lily, how many more ways can I say this. You aren't in the wrong."

"Yes I am." Lily insisted sounding disgusted with herself. "I asked you to get Eric to ask me out because I wanted to prove a point, make someone jealous. I wanted show them that I can't be controlled, but then it turned out that everything I was told was absolutely true."

"Oh, Lily..."

"So I used Eric Munch, because he was nice to me at my sister's wedding, and because of me he could have died. If it hadn't have happened at Hogwarts... If Dumbledore hadn't been there... Aubrieanna, he could have _died_."

Aubrieanna sat down beside her friend. "Lily, here's the thing you have to understand." Aubrieanna paused for a moment, thinking. "People... People will always get hurt. You can't stop it. Yeah, sometimes, you can prevent it, but you'll never be able to stop every hurt, no matter how hard you try. And the people who are hurt the most... They rarely ever deserve it, but the thing you have to remember, the most important thing, is that things happen for a reason. Sometime the reason seems stupid at the time, and sometimes it hurts like hell, but things are what they are, and you have to accept it and keep on living. You have to try to make things better, stop what needs stopped, but… But you won't ever get it perfect. That's life. It's unfair, and painful, and confusing, but it sure beats your other option."

They sat their, staring out the window for a few moments.

"Yeah, I guess it does." Lily sat completely still for a moment before continuing. "It's so hard though. I mean, my mum and dad, my sister... What am I ever going to do if they get hurt because of me? Because of what I am?"

"You're going to do whatever you have to. Get through it, help others..." Aubrieanna shrugged. "Like I said, just keep living."


	16. In Which We Think of Home

Author's Note: Proceed with caution. This chapter contains an amazingly high amount of drama. You have been warned.

Following their conversation, Aubrieanna and Lily seemed closer than ever. The two of them were back to talking, and joking around when ever possible, both trying to forget their troubles. While neither ever succeeded entirely, they both found that their moods were dramatically improved. Several times, Aubrieanna considered telling Lily about hearing Lily's conversation with Snape, or even confiding her problems to Lily, but always decided against it. There was too much that could go wrong. Even with the feelings of guilt for not being completely honest with Lily, Aubrieanna felt as though a tremendous burden had been taken from her. She had not realized how much she had missed the idle chatting between classes until it had returned. It wasn't only Lily and Aubrieanna whose mood had improved, however. The entire house was ecstatic that James had not been accused of foul play and James was once again his usual energetic self (though Aubrieanna thought that Lily breaking up with James may have had something to do with it). Things weren't perfect, but it seemed that the storms had passed, something for which Aubrieanna was extremely grateful.

Even the news from home was favorable. There were no new deaths, and no new problems. Nothing to worry about, and for once, Aubrieanna didn't even feel al though there was something dangerous on the horizon.

-----

Aubrieanna looked up from the letter she was writing, wondering what else to add. She had been rather negligent in her correspondence with her friends back home, and was trying to make up for lost time (or pages) by detailing almost two months worth of actions into one letter. Truthfully, there was very little to report. Classes were getting harder and harder, leaving very little time for much else. The fifth year was finally feeling the full amount of pressure caused by their upcoming O.W.L.'s, and they were all feeling very stretched. This really didn't give Aubrieanna much to put into a letter, however. While Aubrieanna _could_ have sent her friends her insanely long list of spells to master and essays to write, she knew that this was something that they wouldn't be able to relate to. They were still at home, living in a war zone and trying hard to survive.

Aubrieanna looked at the letter guilty, rereading paragraphs of the letter commenting on how she couldn't wait for her education to be finished and for her to be able to return home. A long passage dealt with how, after her and Morgana turned sixteen, after this summer, she would be able to come home for breaks, maybe even just for a weekend or two. She read what she just wrote and felt like a knife was being stabbed in her stomach.

never 

The horrible, horrible thing was that almost all of this was a lie. It was true that she missed her friends, they really were more like family, and she knew all of the sacrifices they were making for her; staying on a slowly loosing side of a deadly war that had been tainting their lives since before they had been born. Staying there and fighting and dying for a leader who was safe in a place untouchable from the hells they were facing every day... Aubrieanna knew that she needed to get back to them, that they needed her to help them. She owed them her life a thousand times over, and yet...

She was a different person from when she had first arrived. She had gone from being hard, hating everyone she saw just because she knew they would never have to experience what she had been through and would continue to be put through. She had been obstinate, living only to return home and to redeem herself, to take revenge and fix everything. To do the things she had always been told that she was born to do. To kill, to win, to right the balance her entire world was desperately lacking.

? She asked herself, even though she knew the answer. 

She wanted a world like she lived in now.

She wanted to have a future beyond death. She wanted to never have to see another friend die for stupid ideals. She still wanted to fix things, to return home, she still envied the people around her, but she did not hate them. She couldn't bring herself to feel even a fraction of the hatred that had been a constant companion all of her life. She wanted the same thing her mother had wanted, peace. Even the type of peace that the wizarding world had, which seemed flawed at best, would be so much better than what she had now. She didn't want to have to be a leader, to have to order people into situations that she knew were fatal. She just wanted to be an ordinary witch.

Aubrieanna's breath caught in her throat.

need_ to be more than that. For Morgana, for Bartimaeus, for Gregory. Everyone is counting on me. I need to want what is best for them. What I really want… _Aubrieanna felt like her heart had been replaced with a pit that was sucking her downward.Aubrieanna felt a tear slide down her face. 

-----

Aubrieanna's revelation set a fire burning within her. She set about trying to learn as much as possible. Not because of O.W.L.'s, but because this was her mission, this was what she was there for. She knew that the Easter Holidays were approaching quickly, however unlike the other students, who were viewing them as a much needed break from classes, Aubrieanna was seeing them as an extraordinary opportunity to work hard, to become better. Even the news that she would once again be spending the break with her father did not seem to worry Aubrieanna much. There would be less distractions, and she needed to be using every moment. The night before she left Hogwarts, Aubrieanna returned from the library, carrying thick volumes of advanced Arithmancy and Runic, Spell books filled with complex defensive spells and transfiguration essays, and even an interesting volume explaining the schism that had taken place between the Faynes and the Wizarding world, including some basic differences in the magic theory used by the two groups. While Aubrieanna was attempting to pack as quickly as possible, Lily entered the room and looked curiously through the books.

"Newt level Arithmancy, Runes, Defense Against the Dark Arts... Some interesting Transfiguration and Charms tidbits... Ah, and some information on Faynes for some light reading between study sessions. Honestly Aubrieanna, what's gotten into you?"

"What do you mean?" Aubrieanna asked, distracted as she wondered how she would managed fitting all her books into such a small trunk.

"I mean that I've never seen anyone work like this, especially not you. It's like you're possessed or something. And these books are all in classes that you do fine in. If you're so worried about the O.W.L.'s, then where are your Herbology books? Or Potions? Even if you didn't want to work on those, your History and Astronomy could both use some improvement."

"Lily, I'll be fine. I'm working hardest in the classes that I think will be the most useful. Whether you disagree with it or not..."

"Aubrieanna, that's not all and you know it. You haven't touched your guitar in almost two weeks, and usually I can't get you to stop playing it. You've been skipping meals_ and _classes, you barely come out of this room. You're always distracted whenever anyone talks to you and... Are you even listening to a word I'm saying."

"Of course I am Lily, and I see where you're coming from, but I'm fine, really. I've have a bit of a revelation and..."

"What's this revelation that's got you so obsessed? I understand that things are going on that you don't tell me, things that I don't think you'll ever tell me. I get that, but when you start to act like this, I get worried. It's like this is the beginning of the year all over again, and you're just as hurt and horrible as ever. And I'm sorry to be saying these things to you, but the thing is that I'm worried. I'm really, really worried, and everyone else is too." Lily's anger made Aubrieanna pause turn to face her.

"Lily, I have to do this. I wish I could explain it all to you, but..." Aubrieanna felt an almost unstoppable urge to tell Lily everything, but she suppressed it. Lily didn't need this right now. "Lily, thing are going on back home, and I need to do something about it. I should have been doing this all along. I never should have let myself get distracted. This hasn't been about making friends, it's about..."

Lily interrupted her, her face full of fury. "I don't care. Honestly, I don't care what it's about. Apparently I don't need to know. Apparently I've been giving you problems for the whole year. I guess I'll just leave then. Hope you have a nice productive break." And with that, Lily left the room, slamming the door behind her.

-----

The Hogwarts Express seemed as lonely and hateful as it had from the day Aubrieanna had arrived at Hogwarts. Aubrieanna found herself returning to her father's house, happy to get away from the train that she and Lily had previously ridden together, talking and joking and keeping themselves amused. Almost immediately after she got home, she heaved her trunk upstairs to continue the work that had begun at Hogwarts. She barely ate, barely slept, and was completely free from interruptions, except for a few remarks on her father's part about how he too had barricaded himself in his room the break before his O.W.L.'s, and he was sure that she would do just fine. Despite the massive amount of research she had accomplished, Aubrieanna couldn't help but regret that she hadn't at least _tried_ to make things up with Lily.

She told herself one night, before falling asleep for a few hours before resuming her quest. 

Aubrieanna was awoken very roughly, a two hands grabbing her shoulders and what felt like a wand pointed at her throat. Responding in self defense, she quickly managed to break free of the two people grasping her, but not before the wand preformed a spell rendering her incapable of further movement. Lying on her back, trying desperately to cry or shout, she heard a man's voice which she remembered from Dumbledore's office.

"By the Order of the Minister of Magic, you are now under arrest."

Still not accepting that she couldn't move, Aubrieanna tried to protest or to get away. Neither of these options were possible, so Aubrieanna watched helplessly as she was dragged upright. Suddenly, her entire body felt like it was being compressed. Her ribs were about to break, her skull felt like it would explode, but the tortuous experience only lasted for a moment before she found herself in completely different surroundings. Her room, currently strewn with books and bits of parchment, had been replaced by a large chamber full of fireplaces. A large statue of some sort appeared to be in the center of the room, but before Aubrieanna could notice anything further she was floating towards a flight of stairs. She floated down, further and further away from any escape that she would see.

Finally, the stairs ended, and Aubrieanna was roughly thrown into a small, dark chamber. The walls, the floor, the ceiling, and even the door that was shut and locked behind her, were all made of oppressing stone. Even if she could have moved, there would have been no way of escape. So Aubrieanna laid on the cold stone floor, wishing she could find out what was going on.

Hours later, Aubrieanna was still lying on the floor in her helpless state. It was all she could do to keep herself from crying tears of anger, confusion, and fear. She hated to admit it to herself, but she was terrified. All she could think of was the last conversation she had had with the Minister and how whoever was behind these attacks would be sent to Azkaban and the dementors. Aubrieanna had learned a bit about them through Defense Against the Dark Arts class, but mostly she could remember the old stories from her home and how the demontors would ripped your soul from your body. Being trapped with them forced to live your worst memories over and over was supposed to be worse than Hell... Aubrieanna shuddered, she knew which memories she would be watching.

She was pulled from these depressing thoughts by loud noises outside her cell. Straining her ears, she could tell that an argument was taking place.

"Let the girl out, she's free to go." A man said.

"What do you mean? She's got to be guilty. She has the ability, and Lord knows that she's deranged enough. They all are." She recognized this voice as the man that had informed her of her arrest.

"She has the ability, and for all I know she's completely mad, but the fact remains that she _couldn't_ have committed this murder."

"Why the hell not?"

"Because they just found another body." The man said. Aubrieanna heard the jingle of keys.

"Listen here, Potter. She's the guilty one. She's the only suspect that makes sense. The only reason that this hasn't been pinned on her long before now is that Dumbledore is still hoping that he can salvage her trip here as a peaceful ambassadorship."

"That may be, but..."

"And this body you've found, are you sure that it is even connected to her case? From what I've heard it was a completely different type of kill are you sure it isn't You-Know-Who..."

"Watch who you say that around. It's strict Ministry Policy not to say anything..."

"Who are you to be lecturing about Ministry Policy. You're the one trying to let a criminal escape."

"I can lecture you about Ministry Policy whenever I want. I'm your superior, Nott. As for the lack of… carvings, I have reason to believe that our Aurors where closing in on the criminal before he could finish his work. Unless you wish to inform me that _you _let this 'criminal' out for a walk she's innocent, so I suggest you let me through."

Aubrieanna heard the key turning in her lock. She tried to watch the door, but it was out of her line of vision. She tried to jump up, expecting to still be unable to move, but surprised herself by managing to not only leap up, but slam herself into the wall. Having finally managed to find her voice, Aubrieanna finally was able to mutter a word.

"Ow."

She felt a hand on her shoulder, lifting her up to her feet.

"Are you all right?" A tall older man whose once-black hair now was predominately gray. Despite the fact that Aubrieanna was ecstatic to see someone trying to rescue her, she felt that this man was not as happy to see her.

"Yeah, well... More or less." Aubrieanna said, rubbing her forehead.

"Right then, let's get you out of here before they change their mind." The man scowled, but helped her up before continuing. "Would you prefer side-along-apparition or flooing?"

"Umm..." Aubrieanna replied cautiously. "Whatever's easier."

"Apparition then. Hold on." The man replied. Aubrieanna felt her body compress again, before reappearing behind her house. Without a spell to hold her upright, Aubrieanna almost fell over.

"Careful now." The man said, trying to help keep her steady without actually touching her.

"Thanks." Aubrieanna said, embarrassed. She straightened herself up and cleared her throat. "Thanks for, you know, getting me out of there."

"I'm the head of Magical Law Enforcement, it's my job to catch criminals, not fifteen year-olds." Oddly enough, the manner in which he presented this statement was not reassuring.

"Not everyone seems to be thinking like that." Aubrieanna stated.

"No, not everyone is. Your kind, your family unless I am very mistaken, was responsible for starting a war that terrified the wizarding community. Most of the Ministry workers remember exactly what that was like. I know I do." There was a tone to the man's voice that suggested that he blamed Aubrieanna for this.

"Than why did you help me?" Aubrieanna asked, confused by the anger in his voice.

"Didn't you hear? They found another victim. Now, there are ways people could distort that fact, so it only gives you safety for a limited amount of time, but that doesn't change the fact that you are innocent. Dumbledore believes so, and so do I. That means that I have to try to help you." The man said. He sighed, looking extremely stressed as he ran his hand through his hair in a very familiar manner.

"I... I really appreciate it." Aubrieanna paused. She could see a sliver of pink on the horizon. "It's almost morning, I'd better be getting to bed."

"Yes, I'd imagine that you must be tired." The man reached inside his robe and handed her an envelope. "This is an apology for you arrest. It should explain everything to your father."

Aubrieanna nodded, and turned to go inside. After reaching the door she stopped, realizing who this man reminded her of. "Mr. Potter?"

The man looked surprised. "Yes."

"Say hi to James for me."


	17. In Which We Hear the Bad News

Author's Note: I'm back! Hopefully this was worth the wait. Only a few more chapters to go!

Aubrieanna dropped down onto her four-poster bed, burring her face into the pillow and enjoying the familiar smell of Hogwarts. She was exhausted, having refused to sleep since her arrest, and her stomach growled for food. Still, Aubrieanna was glad to have returned. Even if she felt as ostracized by Lily, who was still furious, as she had been by her father following the arrest, she took comfort in the fact that here at Hogwarts she would at least feel safe enough that she could sleep, and not so worried that food stuck in her throat and knotted in her stomach. If she was as alone here as she was at her father's, she would at least be marginally more happy. That was what she kept telling herself at any rate, she had managed to ignore the fact that the near-banishment of a family she didn't trust could never hurt her as much as the real anger of a real friend. Aubrieanna pushed all thoughts out of hear mind as she lay down to sleep, fully dressed with a hand on a heavy necklace.

As she closed her eyes, she felt herself drifting away from her body. Slowly, she settled in one place, watching as blurred shapes slowly became more distinct.

Three vague faces shifted violently into alien forms before running towards a giant with long, swinging arms.

The faces shifted again, but more slowly and into shapes recognizable as human again.

A family cried over some sort of terrible news, but between the tears and curtains of red and brown hair, the faces were indistinguishable.

Aubrieanna willed these faces away, not wanting to witness such intense grief.

The masks were firmly in place, as a large group of cruel-looking wizards waited in a circle.

Aubrieanna tried to open her eyes, but the shapes blurred again. They were now moving rapidly and purposefully, forcing her to watch as they formed a new scene.

A figure shrouded in darkness stood over someone. The only definite shape was a glinting silver knife.

Aubrieanna forced herself awake, gasping for breath. Her hand was still grasping the amulet, which was glowing softly. _Damn it, _Aubrieanna thought.

Aubrieanna removed the amulet and fell back into a dreamless, peaceful sleep.

-----

Unfortunately for Aubrieanna, sleep was going to be a rare commodity. The sad truth was that with all of the extra work assigned to the students and all of the research she was doing, Aubrieanna didn't have enough time to sleep, let alone worry about how her and Lily were only exchanging as many words as two roommates had to. She, along with the rest of her class, were eating and breathing books and were constantly muttering spells under their breath. As the O.W.L.'s loomed closer, more students were showing signs of sever stress. Calming draughts were being dolled out like pumpkin juice. Every other fifth year in the school was either close to tears or looked like they were about to strangle themselves. These symptoms only intensified as the weeks went on. The day before the first test, everything seemed to grind to a halt. No one could seem to pick up a book. It was as if the entire school was trying to move through a massive pool of molasses. Even the teachers ceased their seemingly never-ending stream of homework.

The Gryffindor common room seemed particularly effected by this stupor, if only because it was usually so active. Aubrieanna found herself going to sleep before ten, something that hadn't occurred for months. When she woke up she felt a knot in the middle of the stomach as she drifted into the Great Hall for some breakfast before she her first test, charms. The written test wasn't too awful, and the practical portion was fine. Aubrieanna was pleased with her potions test, if only because she did not cause any extreme damage to her cauldron or her proctor. She made up for these successes in Herbology, where she didn't even complete the theory portion and her practical section involved scraping exploded pus pods off the ceiling. Fortunately, her next two tests, Arithmancy and Runes she felt significantly more confident on. The Defense Against the Dark Arts exam went better than she had expected, even if she wasn't confident that she had answered all of the essays completely.

On completing that torture, Aubrieanna had a few hours' break before she had to sit Transfiguration. She momentarily considered going upstairs and attempting to transfigure a pair of socks into a hat, but decided that she would benefit more by just going outside and soaking up some sunshine. Making her way down to the lake she collapsed onto the grass, enjoying the almost-summertime weather that she had sorely missed while she had buried herself in dusty volumes. A few feet away she saw Lily, and felt a pang of guilt. Lily was sitting all alone too, dangling her feet into the edge of the lake. Suddenly, Lily looked up and caught Aubrieanna looking back at her. Aubrieanna smiled a bit, but Lily returned the gesture with a glare. Aubrieanna's simile reworked itself into a grimace as she turned around to head back to the castle.

As she headed towards the doors, she passed James Potter and Severus Snape, surrounded by a crowd of students. Lily seemed to have noticed the same thing as she was running up to the two of them. Aubrieanna considered helping her friend for a moment, but remembered the glare. She went back into the castle instead.

-----

Aubrieanna completed her Transfiguration exam with only one or two major difficulties. After the sand in the hourglass completely expired, Aubrieanna was relieved to make her way back to the Great Hall for a quick, quiet supper. As soon as she entered the room, however, she heard several hundred voices all discussing the same thing: what had happened between James, Lily, and Severus Snape.

"Wow, can you imagine being rejected like that, in front of half the school? Poor Potter."

"So, I heard that Snape called Lily a you-know-what. Are you sure? I mean a few years ago and they were practically inseparable."

"Yep, James Potter has really gone off the deep end. First Munch, now Snape. Wonder who he'll attack next?"

Suddenly, Aubrieanna didn't feel very hungry. She felt guilty, and she felt like she needed to help her friend.

-----

Aubrieanna knocked on the dormitory door hesitantly, waiting until she heard a muffled "Come in." to enter. Lily was lying on her bed, face buried in her pillow. She looked up, and her eyes flashed violently when she saw who it was.

"Oh, it's you."

"Yeah." Aubrieanna paused. "Lily, are you alright?'

"Clearly not."

"Can I help."

"No."

"I'm sor..."

"What the hell do you think telling me you're sorry is going to do? You don't mean it."

"Lily, what are you angry at me for? Just because I've been in a bad mood."

"No Aubrieanna, you aren't in a bad mood. You are so worried about hiding whatever it is you're hiding that you've completely cut yourself off from everyone around you. You can't trust anyone."

"Lily, I do trust you, it's just that..."

"No you don't. Look at you now. Feeling guilty because you didn't help me break up some dumb fight? I can handle that myself, but I can't handle you not trusting me when I have done nothing _but _be understanding…"

"What the hell, Lily! I came here to see if you were alright, but apparently _I'm _the one who is screwed up." Aubrieanna said bitterly before pure anger took over. "Honestly Lily, if you can't deal with someone not telling you something then it's probably a good thing you don't know what the hell is bothering me."

"Aubrieanna, just sod off." Lily shouted, as she ran from the room.

-----

Aubrieanna completed the last of her exams with a cloud of guilt hanging over her that didn't seem to want to pass. It settled heavily on her shoulders during each exam and every meal. The cloud refused to lift after her final exam, leaving her lurking on the sidelines while the rest of her year cheered and celebrated. Now that the distraction of the tests had passed, Aubrieanna had more time to worry, and there was plenty to worry about. She was concerned about the state of her friendship with Lily. She was worried for her home and her friends at home. Over everything, there was the pressing concern that at any moment, she could be accused of murder and carted off to Azkaban. She, along with the rest of the school, was counting down the days until lessons were over and students could go home. Aubrieanna, however, was dreading the thought of being unprotected by Hogwarts Castle.

Aubrieanna's only comfort, and it wasn't much of one, was that she wasn't alone in her gloom. Even as the students were celebrating, Aubrieanna thought that she could sense a tension among the teachers and a few of the older students. Aubrieanna was almost obsessively reading the Daily Prophet, wondering what awful news was causing these feelings. There were perhaps slightly more deaths than usual, plenty more disappearances, but none of them seemed more ominous than usual.

Aubrieanna was pacing the common room late one night, yet again finding her mind too full to be able to sleep, turning these thoughts over in her mind when Professor McGonagall burst in to the room. Aubrieanna raised her wand, reflexes taking over as she prepared to fight until McGonagall started giving her rapid instructions.

"Wake up the girls' dorm. Get everyone down here and tell them to bring their wands." McGonagall looked as frightened as Aubrieanna had ever seen them.

"Professor, what's happening? What's going on?" Aubrieanna asked, but McGonagall had already ascended the stairs to the boy's dormitories and was pounding on doors. Aubrieanna followed her example, and soon the entire house was standing in the common room. Some of the younger ones were still half asleep, but even through the drowsy expressions there was an underlining sense of panic. Confused mumbles filled the room as the students bunched together. Most of the older students had their wands out and were watching the windows of the common room. Finally, Professor McGonagall emerged from the crowd of students and stood in front of them, lips as close to non-existent as Aubrieanna had ever seen them.

"Students, it is my duty to inform you that their has been a... A terrorist attack of sorts on the Ministry of magic tonight. At the same time several Muggle-born wizards appear to have been attacked." Aubrieanna noticed the look of absolute terror on several faces. "The origin of this attack is unknown, but Headmaster Dumbledore is of the opinion that this attack is... related to the disappearances of late. Whatever the identity of this group, they are dangerous and..."

"They're going to attack the school, aren't they!" Exclaimed a dark-haired sixth year. Shouts rose from the crowd as the panic in the room became a solid presence. Aubrieanna felt the confusion in the crowd and held her wand tightly. She tried to swallow her own panic, but she couldn't keep her thoughts from racing.

"Shut up!" Shouted someone, and Aubrieanna was surprised to see James Potter standing beside professor McGonagall. "No one's attacking the school. Dumbledore is here. This is just a... Look, wouldn't you much rather know about this now? I mean, the teachers just _couldn't _not tell us until tomorrow. It's just an announcement. Calm down, it's nothing to be worried about."

McGonagall flashed James a momentary glance of something that may have been gratitude, before resuming her speech. "James is quite right. None of you are in immediate danger, however, when any event of this magnitude occurs the school must ensure that its students are completely informed. Now, if you would please remain in the common room, we will wait for more news."

Despite these reassuring words, Aubrieanna could help but notice that the tension and panic never entirely left the room. She also saw how no one's wands ever left her hands, or how when the message that the students were to meet in Great Hall, it was sent by a ghost. Regardless, the entire house filed out of the portrait and made their way down to the Great Hall. They had been beaten there by the Hufflepuffs and Slytherin, and waited a few minutes to be joined by the Ravenclaws. Soon after, Dumbledore entered the hall. Aubrieanna watched as the sea of pajamas stopped shifting and whispering. The silence settled around them. Aubrieanna stopped rubbing absentmindedly at her necklace and looked at the people surrounding her, and noticing the confusion.

Dumbledore took the stage, interrupting Aubrieanna's thought's. He paused for a moment, as if considering something, before addressing the crowd before him.

"As you are all aware by now, a great tragedy has occurred. There has been an attack not only on our government, but also on several wizarding families in the areas. As of now, the Ministry is still investigating these crimes, however we are aware of the name of the person responsible. This man has shown immense hatred towards not only wizards, but towards all people. This is a wizard who has studied and chased after every form of evil dark magic. He only goal is complete destruction of both himself and everyone who stands in his way. This abomination, this excuse for a human being is calling himself Lord Voldemort.'

"The Ministry of Magic has been under the impression that this man is not a threat that the wizarding community should be concerned about. They are still under the misguided belief that these terrible crimes can be nipped in the bud. That is why I must inform you that, for the past five years a dark wizard has been gathering power. He has been murdering anyone who he perceives as a threat. Furthermore, I fear that this is only the beginning. The wizarding world is changing, and everyone in this room will soon be in the midst of what I fear will be a war."

The tension in the room increased ten-fold as the room took a colective sharp intake of breath.

"This war will be full of horrors. There will be sacrifices, and all of you standing her today will make them. What you need to know today is that there is hope. Everyone standing here will have the opportunity to stop the wave of darkness that is fast approaching our lives. It will be hard, and you may feel alone, but the alternative will be even harder, and you really _will _be alone. Stand-up for what is right, and there is still hope. That is what I wish for all of you, hope."

Dumbledore stopped and smiled fatherly at all of them before continuing. "And now, despite the massive amount of excitement this evening, I highly suggest that we go to bed." His blue eyes twinkled, but slowly, as though they were weighed down by his own worries. "Naturally, with all of the excitement for the evening, tomorrow's, or, more accurately today's, classes have been canceled. Now, off you go." He said, and the students slowly meandered off to bed.

-----

Aubrieanna was tossing and turning in her sleep, shadows were chasing her. Noises were haunting her, shrieking her name as she tried to run away. Suddenly things became sharper. There was a slash of silver, a knife. A body crumpled, and lines of bright red formed meaning nothing.

And there was a face, a face with a familiar shaped eyes. Hand that closely resembled her own.

Aubrieanna forced herself awake and found herself gasping wildly for breath.

Myron.


	18. In Which Nightmares Come True

**Author's Note: Here it is!**

Aubrieanna jumped out of bed, heart racing, grabbed her wand, ran down to the common room, and out the portrait hole. She shook violently as she made her way to Dumbledore's office. If another attack had occurred, especially now that the wizarding world was in disarray due to this "Lord Voldemort", she would undoubtedly be sent to Azkaban. _The Ministry needs to display confidence, and what better way than arresting a teenager?_ She asked herself bitterly, yet fearfully.

"Where are you going?" Said a voice behind her. Aubrieanna started, ready to attack any Auror who came near her, but was relieved to recognize that it was Lily's voice behind her.

"Dumbledore's office." Aubrieanna responded, starting to run again. Lily, however, grabbed Aubrieanna's shoulder and pulled her backward.

"Wrong." Lily said. "Dumbledore just left. He greeted me when I was patrolling the Entrance Hall. You are going back to the common room. Tomorrow you will be visiting Professor McGonagle so you can get your detention."

"I don't have time for this right now." Aubrieanna said, jerking out of Lily's grasp. She started to turn to leave, but suddenly Lily was pointing her wand at her face.

"Listen Aubrieanna, I'm a prefect, this is my job, and _you _are going to listen to me and get back to our dormitory."

"Lily, this is important..." Aubrieanna began, but she was interrupted.

"Is something the matter Lily? I heard shouting near the entrance hall." Remus said as he turned a corner.

"No Remus, Aubrieanna's just having some authority issues." Lily said.

"Yeah, well we probably need to head toward the commotion. It sounded like they were Ministry wizards." He looked worried.

"Fine, we can stop there on our way to the tower." Lily said. "Come on Aubrieanna."

"No." Aubrieanna whispered, more to herself than to Lily. The Aurors were in the castle, and they were here to arrest her.

"What are you talking about?" Lily demanded. "What is the matter with you?"

Aubrieanna wasn't listening. Horrifying thoughts of reliving nightmares again and again were slowly clouding her mind. "Lily I can't go down there." She started running down the corridor, far away from the entrance hall. Remus caught up to her and grabbed her shoulder, effectively stopping her escape.

"Aubrieanna, what's wrong?" He asked, frowning. By now Lily was standing there too, her anger somewhat softened by concern for the first time that night.

Shouts and footsteps echoed along the corridors. Aubrieanna tried to run again, but Remus was still firmly grasping her shoulder. "Are they after you?" He asked, his voice becoming sharp.

"I didn't do it." Aubrieanna replied desperate for some help, someone who could defend her. She was panicking now. All of her escape routes were rapidly being closed off, and Remus still wouldn't let her go. She could fight some of them off, but never all of them, and if they _saw _her attack someone, there would be no hope for her. It would be an admission of guilt and she'd waste the rest of her life in Azkaban. _What about everyone at home. They need me. This can't be happening. It just _can't.

"Didn't do what?" Lily asked.

"The murders. It was Myron." She could hear noises closing in on her. "It's not me. I... The runes aren't real runes. I didn't write them. I would never, ever..."

"Aubrieanna you're not making sense." Remus said, but Lily understood.

"The Fanye murders." She looked shocked, appalled. "They're arresting you for the Fyane murders?"

"It wasn't me Lily, I swear. It looks like it's me. It looks like I'm the Fayne murderer, but I didn't kill anyone. It was Myron..." She could hear the voices distinctly now as the Aurors communicated with each other rapidly. "Myron is the murderer. Tell Dumbledore. It's Myron. I saw it..."

"Your brother? Aubrieanna, if your brother's the murderer, then they aren't after you. Your safe, it'll be fine." Lily was trying to calm her down in vain, but Remus was slowly understanding.

"You didn't kill any one, but you... You're one of _them, _aren't you." He said slowly. "There is no Denmark, California. That's why you know so much Runic. And your brother, he's one too, and all year he's been _killing_ people."

"_We're_ not Faynes. I am, but I didn't do it. Please believe me. Tell Dumbledore. Tell him I saw Myron killing people when I was sleeping. It was the amulet." Aubrieanna's mind was racing, there was no way out.

An Auror spotted them and ran toward them. He gave a shout and suddenly there were seven Aurors in the hall, all with wands pointing at Aubrieanna. Suddenly, she stopped shaking and her face was cleared of all expression. There wasn't anyone who could help her, no teachers, not Lily or Remus. Not here and not now.

"Aubrieanna De'Muerta, by order of the Minister of Magic, you are under arrest..." One of them began, but Aubrieanna wasn't listening to them, she fixed both Lily and Remus with solemn, pleading stare.

"I didn't do it." She said. The Auror was still talking, but Aubrieanna couldn't stand her and watch everything fall apart. She knew couldn't fight them. She knew wouldn't be able to handle Azkaban. Most of all, she knew she couldn't take this scene anymore. Forcing one foot in front of the other, a sickening feeling building in her stomach, she approached one of the men surrounding her.

"Stop." He said, raising his wand protectively.

"If I was _really_ a terrifying, powerful Fayne murderer," Aubrieanna asked, torn between laughing and crying as she continued walking, "Don't you think that I would have killed you all by now?"

She was immediately stunned, and collapsed to the ground.

-----

Aubrieanna was forced awake by a spray of frigid ice water drenching her completely. She lay still for several moments, trying to remember where she was and why she was so sore. When she succeeded she wished she would pass out again. She was in a wooden boat being propelled by two charmed oars. Two boatmen accompanied her, and the foggy horizon of sea was broken only by a forlorn scrap of land topped with a mangled ruin of a prison. The boatmen hadn't realized that she was awake yet, and were having a hushed conversation in the back of the boat.

"She was hit with three stunning spells, and then they drugged her. Small wonder she's not awake yet. Personally, I'm glad. Let's hope we manage to drop her off before she comes around." One said.

"A bit young though, to be such a threat, don't you think?" Said the other, and older man.

"Didn't you hear the Aurors? She's a Fayne. She's as much of a threat as anyone else in those walls. That's why they brought her in here so quickly. No detour to the ministry. No trial, not yet anyway, and she'll be here until she gets one."

"Still, she looks like she should still be at school. Not locked in a prison." The boat landed on a rocky shore and Aubrieanna felt invisible strings attach themselves to her limbs and pull her upright.

"Even if she looked like your great aunt and had spent the trip here knitting a tea cozy, she's a criminal, so why don't you help me find he a cell."

Aubrieanna was levitated up a steep cliff and into Azkaban prison.

-----

Aubrieanna's cell was dark and the smell of the uneaten, rotting food in other prisoners' cells filled the confined space. Even as she was floating into the prison, she felt the cold press in on her from all sides. The deeper she went into the prison, the colder and more depressing it became. She could hear moans and screams echoing off the stone walls as she floated along. Finally, they reached her cell and she was levitated into it. The iron door slammed and the lock clicked and Aubrieanna was alone.

She opened her eyes, taking in the small cell. The walls were stone, filled with the mad scratchings of a previous occupant. Aubrieanna shivered and wrapped herself in her cloak. She was still dressed in her school robes, now wet and only serving to make her colder. The only change between last night and now was that she was wandless. Aubrieanna's shivering became more violent, and she didn't think that it was entirely because of the cold. The screams of other prisoners around her became louder and louder. Suddenly, Aubrieanna caught a glimpse of the dementor from through the bars more and more were joining it, sensing a fresh source of food.

Aubrieanna only heard rasping breath coming from the shrouded figures for a moment before she was immersed in her memories.

-----

_An eleven-year old girl watched from the staircase as her mother entered through the door. Blood was starting to seep through the bandages on her arms. A sudden sense of relief passed through her. Mother was home, she was home late, but she was home. The girl waited patiently as her mother walked past the stairs and headed to the courtyard. Aubrieanna knew that her mother would silently walk through the gardens until midmorning, brooding over the latest loss or victory. Aubrieanna wouldn't know what had taken place until her sister arrived home._

_She waited there on the stairs as a golden dawn slowly peeked through the windows. Lorcane still wasn't home. She was known to stay out late after a fight, celebrating with her friends, particularly if the battle was successful, but it didn't make sense that she was staying out this late..._

_Unless Lorcane wasn't coming home._

_Aubrieanna sprinted down the spiraling stairs. The section of the railing due to her latest fight with her sister was still broken, but Aubrieanna wasn't thinking about how Lorcane had broken her arm or her nose. Only the thoughts of how her sister was her oldest friend, the only other person she knew going through the pressures of being the daughter of both the general and executive of a rebel government. She flung open the door leading to the courtyard and entered the overgrown rose garden, looking for her mother. She was standing there, looking distracted as she stared at a large red flower without really seeing it. Aubrieanna was in a panic, running up to her mother. When she reached her, however, her mother still didn't look at her. Aubrieanna stood beside her, silent for a moment, waiting. Finally, her mother spoke._

_"You were waiting for Lorcane?" She asked, but not sadly. In fact, she was so detached it was hard to discern any emotion in her voice at all. The worst had happened "She won't be coming home."_

_Aubrieanna didn't cry. She wanted to, but the tears wouldn't com. Instead she stood beside her mother and watched as the sun dried up all the dew in the garden._

-----

The dementors relented, and Aubrieanna's shuddered more violently than ever. Tears were dripping down her face and her fists were clenched so tightly that her own fingernails were drawing blood. Anguish filled her as she relived the emotions of having believed her sister was dead. Anger flooded through her as she recalled what the reality was. Not only had her sister survived the battle, she had been the deciding factor in the outcome of the battle. She had fought for the Standard, for the other side. Aubrieanna slammed her fists into the rough wall as she was filled with fury. Soon, the dementors were back again, feeding off emotions as they continued to shift through Aubrieanna's worst memories.

-----

If only I was another year older. _Thought Aubrieanna, as she carved a simple spell into her skin. She had just turned fifteen. In less than a year she would be of age and would inherit her full powers. Now, however, her talents were limited to almost fruitless, energy-sapping, low power attacks. She wished she could run down into the conflict, away from the outskirts. The few knives she was carrying seemed heavy at her side, waiting to be used. This battle in particular, she wanted to fight. Her sister, traitor that she was, was down their fighting. Killing her friends and soldiers. Aubrieanna could see the path of her sister's destruction. _I liked you better when I thought you were dead. _Aubrieanna thought bitterly, but a pang of unwanted, undeserved guilt shot through her. _

_Trying to set her mind back on the task, Aubrieanna couldn't help glancing at her mother, wondering if she had somehow been able to sense her hateful thought. Her mother wouldn't agree with her. That was why Aubrieanna was away from the fighting. Her mother didn't want her two daughters trying to kill each other, as she knew they were determined to do. Even now, though Lorcane had been fighting for the Standard for years, first as a spy and now as an honored general, Mother hoped that she would return to her family, the only two true members of the House of Death left._

_Aubrieanna saw her Mother, in the very center of the battle. The matriarch was destroying all enemies in her path, except for one. Lorcane remained unscathed. Aubrieanna aimed one of the most powerful spells she could manage at her. It was successful, streaking straight toward her sister before a nameless figure passed between the two, absorbing the blow. Aubrieanna glared, light-headed already, prepared another spell. She was halfway through the Runic carving when she saw it._

_The worst spell anyone could cast. Even from her perch far away from the heat of the battle she could see the black darkness boiling in her sister's blood. Aubrieanna started shaking. Then, her feet took her sprinting, eyes fixated on her mother and the web of thick darkness covering her. The knife still in her hand dropped to the ground as Aubrieanna ran, hardly breathing._

_She'd seen these spells before. Seen them drain their victim of all their life force, but only if the victim would let you. She willed her mother to break free. _Why are you letting her do this? Break the spell! _Even now, Aubrieanna knew that wouldn't happen. Her mother would never kill Lorcane, and Lorcane finally had an opportunity to use the spell she had no doubt waited years to try._

_The bonds around her mother strengthened. Her head was twisted toward Aubrieanna. There was a pain, a betrayal in her eyes, but also a peace. Aubrieanna was watching her mother give up, watching her mother die._

Back in her cell at Azkaban tears slid down Aubrieanna's face, distorted by grief. Finally, unconsciousness, painful though it was, sunk in.


	19. In Which the Nightmare Continues

**Author's Note: I hope that this is clear. It is a complecated chapter, so if there is anything I can do to make it clearer, please let me know.**

The first glimpse of a dream edged into Aubrieanna's mind just as the numbness was setting into her shivering body. At first, she watched helplessly, waiting for this fresh pain to erase her memories of the former nightmare. This was was a different sort of dream though. The sounds seemed muffled, and everything seemed blurred.

_"Myron's gone." A vaguely-masculine voice said._

_"Are you sure?" A second, softer voice answered. It seemed to belong to a girl._

_"He just left the Hogwarts property."_

_"How do you know? You have to be positive or it could ruin everything. I don't think I'll be able to cast this charm again any time soon."_

_He shoved a scrap of parchment in his pocket nervously. "Never mind how I know." He said quickly before adding, "James, Sirius, and Peter are helping." He paused again. "Besides, are you sure that the spell is ready? If you think there's something wrong with it... They can't know anyone else was involved."_

_His companion looked at him suspiciously, before nodding. "I'll preform the charm as soon as he's had enough time to get to Hogsmeade__. The minute he apparates to London, he's done."_

The scene shifted, but when it returned it was clearer and more complete than the last vision. Aubrieanna was painfully aware of how her cheek was being ground into the dirt floor. By now, lucidity was returning to her slowly. Aubrieanna determinedly pushed it away, something strange was happening.

_Myron's face shifted in the shadows. He lingered in an alley, looking worried. _

Aubrieanna stared at him, disgust and anger filling her. She wondered why he was here,. More importantly, why was _she_ here? As she wondered, his thoughts seemed to jump out at her, whispering through her brain, reminding her of a bitter poison. He was nervous and very, very afraid. A large part of Aubrieanna was glad, but the small amount of pity she might have felt disappeared as she began to hear more coherent thoughts.

_"What's the matter with me? Aubrieanna's go__ne, no longer any sort of threat, abomination that she is. Now I'm free to join the Dark Lord without that disgrace of a half-breed spreading a stain across his reputation. It wasn't as though she was a real _person_ anyway; she's worse than the Muggle-borns even." _

_Myron rubbed the handle of his silver knife nervously. "Those friends of hers have been watching me far too closely, and that Ministry official, Potter, _he _seems to have taken a very personal interest in the case. Between him and Dumbledore, it's only a matter of time before they realize that the Runic work wasn't Aubrieanna's. They already knew that she had no real reason __to commit any crimes, other than being a monster..."_

_"I've got to get rid of the knife. Get rid of the evidence. Even if they prove it wasn't her, they can't prove it was me."_

_He set off down the street, and Aubrieanna could see the Thames River in front of him. Her mind followed, powerless to do otherwise. They passed few people, as late as it was, and none of them looked frightened to see the boy they were passing on the street. None of them noticed that there was a murderer in their midst. As Aubrieanna made this bitter realization, Myron stopped. He was shaking violently and turned, looking as though he had seen someone lurking in a doorway he had just passed. Aubrieanna_ _turned with him, unable to see anything. Looking back at Myron, she inched closer, waiting for his thoughts to come again._

_When they did, they arrived not as clear, linear thoughts but as one overpowering feeling: fear. Something was coming for him. More that a specter, but so much less than a human. The shape was brutally cut up, but not bleeding. Instead of blood, a murky, dark tar-like substance oozed from its wounds. Suddenly, Myron recognized the corpse of Aros Splicker coming toward him. At first he tried to run, but more and more of the things kept coming, faces morphing and distorting, movements random and confusing No one else they passed noticed the army as it continued the chase, but Myron was panting heavily and shaking. His eyes were wide, searching frantically for a way out. Then, Myron made a wrong turn._

_He ran into the wall of the alley, the dead end, as if hoping he could somehow find an escape from the otherworldly figures following him. He screamed and shrieked. Aubrieanna could hear footsteps running to wards him, but they would be too late. Surely they would be too late._

_Splicker opened his mouth. There was no tongue, no teeth, only a pit of darkness. "Confess..." He hissed. "Tell me what you have done."_

_Myron never opened his mouth. He raised his shaking arms out in front of him. One held his wand, the other, his knife._

_Splicker's mouth got wider and wider, his entire insides were one bottomless pit, reeking of horror and despair. Myron found his voice, small and weak though it was, and managed to whisper an answer._

_"I did this... I killed you didn't I Splicker? And Howll, and Cauther... You too Nedleburthy. I did _this_..."_

_The visions smiled eagerly, an awful, sneering grin. Splicker opened his mouth again..._

_And disappeared._

_The last thing Aubrieanna saw as her mind sped back was a gray-haired Ministry official round the corner, several well-armed Aurors trailing behind._

-----

Aubrieanna's eyes opened wide. She managed to drag herself upright by her shaking arms. It was so cold. It was _always_ cold but times like now, times when she was really awake was when it was the worst. She walked to her window, clutching at the stone wall for support. She was having trouble focusing, and her vision was blurry, but now was the most focused she had felt in... _How long _have _I been here? A few days? A couple weeks? _She held her head in her hands. _It can't have been longer than a few weeks. Not possible._

She sank to the floor, joints cracking as she folded her legs and rested her forehead on the wall, having no desire to face the emaciated skeleton across from her. Aubrieanna was beginning to calm down from her nightmares, enough so that she managed to swallow down whatever mysterious food had been left for her. It was as cold as the rest of the cell, and managed only to chill her further. Aubrieanna then closed her eyes. The dreams, the memories, were nothing when compared to the fact that there wasn't any waking up. The few other times that Aubrieanna had managed to raise herself to this level of consciousness she had felt the same, hopeless, empty, dead. Dead would be better. Dead would mean that it was over.

It was then that Aubrieanna realized that she wasn't breathing. That her lungs were burning and black spots were appearing in her line of vision. She took a rasping breath, horrifyingly close to that of a dementor's.

_What the hell is wrong with me? What am I doing?_

-----

_Her face felt beaten and battered, swollen almost past the point of recognition. The familiar dazed feeling caused by blood loss had long since settled in. She couldn't remember how she had gotten home, but she did remember the fighting, the killing, and, more than anything, her anger. Her anger at her sister and the monster she had become flooded her constantly. The pitying glances she was receiving, coupled with the the knowledge that she must continue living were even more painful. The worst thing, the only thing that really mattered, was the fact that her mother could've fought back, but didn't_. And why not? What here wasn't good enough for her?_ Aubrieanna thought bitterly._

_And now, even worse, they wanted her to take over. Gregory was speaking, and Madame was here, having emerged from her dungeon for this rare occasion._

_"Understand, Aubrieanna, that it won't be forever." Gregory said calmly. "You will be able to come back anytime you want, as soon as you turn sixteen."_

_"Until then, I'm just supposed to stay in some Hellish dimension that my ancestors abandoned for hopeless centuries ago? A place filled with people who almost killed my mother? I don't think so. If you're afraid of me, get over it."_

_"Aubrieanna, no one's afraid of you." Morgana spoke for the first time since Aubrieanna had returned. "Afraid _for _you maybe, as many stupid risks as you're taking but..."_

_"Is that what this is about? You're punishing me for fighting in a war? You can't make me leave. This is my home. This is where I'm needed. You know that, and you're trying to banish me?"_

_"Punishment and banishment has nothing to do with it. You're mother would have agreed with us that _England _is the place where you are needed." Madame spoke, her voice harsh and raspy._

_"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Aubrieanna demanded._

_"Why do you think she made you learn English? Why did you have to learn how to use that stupid stick?" Madame responded._

_"Our people were killed in England fifteen years ago because no one knew English. Mother taught me the stupid language so that wouldn't have to happen again. Morgana knows it, and so does Bartamaeus. And you know as well as I do that using a wand means I don't have to bleed for every spell. Next time I meet my sister I can use that 'stupid stick' to kill her."_

_"Aubrieanna, your mother has been planning for you to go to England for years now. She's been in contact with a headmaster there and he's supplied books, your wand, and everything else you've been using. Now you have to go. Right now your sister is the only member of your House older than sixteen. She may have been disowned, but she's the leader of the house until you are old enough to receive your full powers. That means that until you turn sixteen, you're a sitting duck, and as insane as your sister went after she got her full power, she's only going to get worse now that your mother isn't here and she has to carry all of it.. Every houses' power is balanced between it's members. You know that, and right now almost all of that power rests in your sister."_

_"So I'm useless now? I'm a useless bomb waiting until I turn sixteen until I explode just like my sister. Then, I can betray you all and in an eruption of uncontrollable power destroy everything. It's nice to know I'm such a hazard." Aubrieanna was almost screaming now._

_"No Aubrieanna, you are our last hope. Half the House of Life is siding with the Standard, and almost all of the House of Birth. In a little more than a year, you will become the head of the House of Death, your sister will revert back to being disowned, and her power will be limited." Morgana said softly, Aubrieanna could tell she was upset, but quite frankly she couldn't bring herself to care anymore. "It's the best plan we have." She said_

_Bartamaeus, who had been frowning as he leaned against a bookcase said, "The problem with that plan Aubrieanna, is that it only works if you're not dead."_

_"I'm not dead yet."_

_"You tried awfully hard to rectify that tonight." She couldn't believe it; Bartamaeus wasn't siding with her. "If you keep trying to ambush powerful people like that on the Standard's land then it's only a matter of time before you run into your sister, and then you're dead."_

_A wave of shame filled Aubrieanna, extinguishing even the anger. She almost wanted to apologize, to confess to her friends how afraid she was or how she hadn't slept for the past three nights because she had been crying instead. A glance around room reminded her why that would never be possible: She had inherited a position of almost absolute power from her mother. These people, the only family she had left, could criticize her all they wanted. They could arrange for things to happen. They could scream, and they could yell. None of it would ever change the fact that she had the final say, otherwise they would have shipped her off directly after her mother had died. There persuasion and concern wasn't falling on deaf ears, although Aubrieanna would have given anything to be able to dismiss their fears. The silence of a long pause filled the room as Aubrieanna looked for anyway out._

_"Everything is arranged for you to leave tomorrow." Gregory said after a long while, choosing to interpret her silence as consent. "You'll be an ambassador. You can learn all about the magic wielded by your father's people. Then, when you come back home, you can use that. You can overthrow the standard, something your mother, grandmother, aunts, uncles, have all died for. That's what your mother wanted for you. She wanted you to finally win. She wanted you to be safe and stay alive."_

_Four concerned pairs of eyes bored into Aubrieanna. She was shaking, as she tried to hide a tear rolling down her face. She didn't cry in front of these people. It was her job to lead and protect them, and she couldn't do that from so far away. But they were right, and a large part of her wanted to stay alive. _

_"The funeral is in two days. I can wait to leave until then." She finally managed to whisper, standing up slowly and leaving the room. Her feet took her to the garden, where a bush of dark, dark red roses were planted. It was dying, Aubrieanna realized. Only two buds were left. One was a sickly, eaten shriveled bloom. The other was still waiting to open completely, looking as though it may never get the chance.. Aubrieanna stared at her feet as another tear rolled down the slope of her nose. On the ground, a perfect bloom was being blown away._

_-----_

Somewhere, far away from her tortured, worried mind, the cold was receding from Aubrieanna's shivering body as she sailed away from the cold, desolate island.


	20. In Which We Live

**Here it is: The End**

The light was warm, shining orange through Aubrieanna's eyelids and making everything feel like she was trapped in a fuzzy peach. Sighing contently, she pulled the blankets around her more tightly. She wasn't shivering. She wasn't reeling from a dream or old memory.

Something was definitely wrong.

Aubrieanna forced her eyes open and was immediately rewarded with a pounding headache. She tried to roll over and hide her head in her pillow, but she could barely lift her arms. Slowly the light seemed to dim a bit, and she risked another glimpse. This time, she was able to see a tiled ceiling. Everything smelled scouring-potion clean, but she was hungry nevertheless. Aubrieanna couldn't remember the last time she actually _wanted_ food. It actually felt good.

She was lying there, enjoying the sensation when a short witch came into the room, her wand tucked behind her ear. All of her hair was tied back and her lime green apron was neatly tied around her rather-large waist. She had been pushing a trolley with a multitude of bottles and vials. She began measuring out a large spoonful of a mysterious turquoise syrup.

"Poor girl. I don't know what they'll have to do if _this_ isn't enough to eliminate those nightmares. The woman had already lifted Aubrieanna into a semi-reclined position, presumably so she could force Aubrieanna to swallow the stuff, before Aubrieanna had the genius idea of saying anything.

"When's breakfast?" Her hoarse voice surprised Aubrieanna as much as the witch who promptly gave a small squeak and dropped Aubrieanna back onto the bed.

"Oh dear, oh dear. It's wonderful to see you awake, darling. And with such a healthy appetite, you'll be over this _very _quickly. Wonderful, just wonderful." The witch searched the trolley, presumably for breakfast, and emerged with a bowl filled with a thick, brown substance. "Here you go, dear." She said. "You eat that up and I'll come back with your healer."

Aubrieanna viewed the substance dubiously. She was hungry, but the sludge placed in front of her hardly looked edible. At last, she lifted the spoon to her mouth and took a tiny bite before smiling. _Chocolate pudding, what a healthy breakfast._

-----

Aubrieanna was content to live in ignorance of what had happened for a few hours. She couldn't ignore hearing the healers outside her door discuss how thin she had been when she arrived. They had been more concerned, however, by the fact that it had been almost impossible to get her to regain consciousness.

"It was the amulet that was doing it." She heard one brag outside her room. The middle-aged healers were almost always bragging about something, "It was some sort of vision-amplifier. Naturally, surrounded by all of those dementors, the thing put her in a trance. She was exhausted from lack of sleep, starving, and nine tenths of the way to insane. It's awful how she wasn't even guilty, having to go through all of that."

The young assistant he was talking to gave Aubrieanna a sharp look when he thought she wouldn't notice and responded. "Still, if she _is _innocent, how did she manage to get a amulet with that sort of power. And you know she's a Fayne. I don't care how many Ministry officials _say_ she's innocent, _I _still don't want to be alone in a room with her."

It soon became apparent that the healers weren't the only ones in debate about Aubrieanna's innocence. Every other day the Daily Prophet was switching sides. The first day after her arrival that Aubrieanna saw the Daily Prophet she almost had in confiscated from her by the slightly over-bearing potion-trolley witch who had been afraid that it would upset her. **Fayne Murderess Freed** the headline declared. A photograph of Aubrieanna that must have been taken prior to her arrest showed her scowling menacingly. "Ministry refuses to disclose why suspected murder is walking among us." Aubrieanna laughed bitterly at this, she had been forbidden to walk around until three days _after_ she had regained consciousness. The rest of the article listed accusations of bribery, extortion, and government corruption. Aubrieanna clipped the article and hid it in one of her school books. Her trunk had arrived the night before, and she was ecstatic to be able to wear something other than the hospital's white smock-like robes that made Aubrieanna feel like a cross between the gray lady and an inmate in an asylum.

The next morning, the paper was selling a different story, one that Aubrieanna was more eager to read about. **Fayne Murderer a British Wizard **proclaimed the paper. This time, a picture of a screaming, flailing Myron dominated the page. Aubrieanna skimmed through it once before reading the the article properly.

_The release of the prime suspect of the Fayne murders earlier this week sent shock waves through the Wizarding Community. The Ministry of Magic, who only three weeks ago were proudly proclaiming their arrest of the daughter of the dangerous Fayne responsible for the Fayne Wars over a decade ago, Aubrieanna De'Muerta, have now reported a new arrest. The second convict, Myron Platt is, in fact, the half-brother of the original suspect. While Platt has confessed at a trial where he was sentenced to life in Azkaban, his motives remain unclear. As Platt is not a Fayne, the Ministry is lead to believe that the murders are connected to a "You-Know-Who." (This appears to be a term used in the Ministry to refer to the dark wizard, Voldemort. For more information on the Ministry's work on catching this wizard, as well as to why this paper will be ceasing to use this wizard's name in order to prevent a spread of panic, see page 4.)_

Aubrieanna did not finish the article. She did not turn to page four. Instead, her mind flooded with the memories of a dream from Azkaban.

Over the next few days more papers arrived, all of which Aubrieanna read carefully. There were interviews of the Aurors who had been at the arrest, describing how Myron had been raving like a lunatic, screaming horribly. "He was already driven mad by the guilt." One said. "He has deserved everything he got, but honestly, Azkaban may be a relief for him." Aubrieanna seriously doubted that.

Although several of the articles focused on Myron's arrest, only one very short column covered the trial. The mere description of how Myron had screamed when he discovered his sentence made even Aubrieanna shudder. Despite being horrified by the end of the trial, Aubrieanna was very intrigued by the rest. The chief testimony came from none other than Mr. Potter.

_I owe him._ Aubrieanna thought. _He doesn't even know me, doesn't even _like _me and look at what he's done._

Not even Mr. Potter's testimonies seemed able to bring Myron to justice though. An appeal, and presumably a large sum of Galleon, had managed to convince the judges of Myron's insanity. He would live out the rest of his life in a private home for mentally disturbed patients.

Aubrieanna expected to feel furious at the injustice, to rage and fume for days. _I don't feel that way though. I don't really feel anything. Myron got what he deserved, a life of guilt, trapped far away from the rest of the world until the day he dies._

-----

Aubrieanna was sitting in the lobby. It was becoming a hobby of hers to watch wizards and witches file into St. Mungos. Such exotic defects or injures due to strange potion fumes and experimental curses were fascinating to observe. Aubrieanna's favorite so far was the elderly wizard who was floating in the air like a helium balloon. The healers had been at a loss to find a way to transport him to the correct wing until one finally grabbed him by his beard and pulled him along. The poor man squeaked each time he bounced helplessly off of the ceiling.

The hazard to sitting in the lobby, as Aubrieanna well knew, was that occasionally _she_ would be the one getting second glances. She couldn't exactly be surprised; her face had been plastered across newspapers for the past few weeks while she had been accused of murder. One afternoon, after a lunch that, as always, ended with a large amount of chocolate pudding, an older man came in. Even though he gave Aubrieanna a long hard look, it was quite a few moments before Aubrieanna recognized her father.

He walked over and sat down beside her, nor really looking at her face. Aubrieanna noticed a letter in his hand. It was addressed to her.

Finally he spoke. "I didn't really expect to see you down here. I just wanted to see that the letter got to you. I suppose that it doesn't really matter now, though. I might as well tell you in person."

"You don't want to talk to me, do you?" Aubrieanna said, her voice quickly becoming emotionless. "You don't want to see me. You want to pretend you don't know me."

Her father nodded, either too ashamed to look her in the face or too angry. "My son is a killer. He is in a mental home. None of it should have ever happened..."

"And none of it would have happened if I hadn't come." He nodded again, and Aubrieanna felt an awful, icy feeling settling into her chest.

"I want my son back." Her father said. "I don't want to be the disgrace of the wizarding world."

"You wish I had never been born." Aubrieanna said, not angrily, completely impersonal. She refused to let herself be hurt by this.

Her father sigh sounded tired and full of grief. "I remember meeting your mother and a hurried marriage. I actually thought she was Russian, you know?" He was somewhere between laughing and crying. "She needed some way to remain hidden and stay safe. I imagine it's the only reason she married me, that and she quite possibly didn't understand what I meant when I asked her to marry me.." He laughed, not bitterly but not with any real joy either. "Then she left, just like my first wife. And then you came back. And now I've lost my son."

"I am sorry." Aubrieanna said. It was a struggle to keep a monotone edge to her voice now.

"Not sorry enough you'd go back to Azkaban though."

"No, not that sorry."

"I don't know that I blame you. Self-preservation seems to run on both sides of your family."

"That it does."

"I've always felt guilty that I haven't had a chance to talk to you, but it's probably a blessing now. You won't miss me much, and I'll never have to remember what I'm missing." He cleared his throat and handed her an envelope. "This contains a key to your own Gringott's vault. Obviously I'm a horrible failure of a father, but at least you will be able to take care of yourself."

"You don't have to do this, you know." Aubrieanna protested.

"I won't be seeing you again, and you'll be in foster care for at least a year. I've already signed the papers. I wasn't able to take care of your mother, she wouldn't let me. Clearly I wasn't able to take care of my son. Right now, I have an opportunity and a duty to take care of you, and I don't think I can bare to in any way but this." He stood up, and Aubrieanna followed suit. "I wish you the best of luck, Aubrieanna. I don't think you'll need it though. You seem to be much better at surviving than I ever was, and I see all the best of your mother in you."

"Thank you Mr. Platt." Aubrieanna said. "Thank you for everything." She shook his hand. "You're not a bad man, and someday I hope that you get your reward for it."

Aubrieanna felt a wave of sorrow as her father walked away from her.

-----

Aubrieanna suddenly felt restless. Until now, her entire experience at the hospital had been almost surreal. Nothing could hurt her; nothing would change. Since her father's visit, however, a she was gripped by a desperate attempt to understand exactly what was going to happen. At some point in time, probably as soon as the Healers determined that she was healthy and sane enough to be forced onto some poor foster family. After that, she would have to get back to real life. She didn't know what Hogwarts's policy was for ex-convicts. Nor did she know how the Ministry was going to decide to treat her. The fact that it was the Ministry that would be deciding on her foster family set her on edge. How would this family treat her? The whole wizarding world knew what she was now. How would her classmates treat her? And Lily and Remus? Last time she had talked to them she had almost gotten both of them stunned. By now they had surely found out that she had been lying to them for the past year.

Aubrieanna frequently found herself pacing around the corridors, waiting for some scrap of information to fall into her lap. The healers all tried their best to keep the outside world from affecting their patients, particularly those like Aubrieanna whose mental state was suspected to be unstable. Aubrieanna didn't agree with them on that particular matter, but apart from a short letter that may or may not have been sent home in order to reassure them of her safety she had had not communicated with anyone. Regardless of the lack of contact to the outside world, Aubrieanna felt convinced that soon she would receive something that would help things fall back into place.

Then the letter came. Aubrieanna recognized the handwriting as Lily's. It was short, but hardly unimportant.

_Aubrieanna,_

_Meet me in the lobby at one tomorrow. I need to talk to you._

It wasn't signed at all, and it wasn't long enough to give Aubrieanna any sort of information as to how Lily was feeling, but she knew that she owed it to her friend to tell the truth.

-----

Aubrieanna watched the entrance to St. Mungo's carefully. Lily entered right on time. She stood up straight and tall but looked very frail and very apologetic. Aubrieanna stuck her hands into her pockets and looked down at her feet as she waited for Lily to throw something at her. _Any minute Lily will start shouting, and I deserve every bit of it. I_ lied _to her for an entire year._

Finally Lily reached her. She stood in front of Aubrieanna for a few moments before she managed to open her mouth. "Are you alright?' Lily asked quietly.

Aubrieanna shrugged. "All things considered..."

"You mean the fact that you're a Fayne who has been framed for murder by her own half brother and has just been released from Azkaban?"

"Hmm... You got all of that from the papers?" Aubrieanna felt distinctly uncomfortable.

"Is it true?" Lily demanded softly.

"Yes." Aubrieanna said, and she felt a little freer, a little happier.

"You know this is the last time you're allowed to lie to me, right?" Lily said. Her words were starting to become less controlled, more real. "From this point on, any lies about who you are will result in sever jinxing."

"I kind of figured that would be your policy." Aubrieanna paused, unsure what there was to say. "Would you like some chocolate pudding?"

Lily looked at her, confused. "I guess so... but, why exactly?"

"I have some left over from lunch. They always give me a huge heap of chocolate pudding."

"It makes sense I guess, what with the dementors..." She stopped herself quickly, and a very awkward silence followed.

"Lily, I am incredibly sorry." Aubrieanna blurted out suddenly.

Lily now looked distinctly uncomfortable. "My spouting off at you really didn't help much, did it?"

"Not really, but I understand."

"Do you?"

"If I didn't would I be offering you pudding?" Aubrieanna asked.

"Only if you were really, really sick of it." Lily smile a bit.

"Trust me, it's all yours." Aubrieanna said solemnly before the two of them broke out into strained, but truly cheerful laughter.

-----

Aubrieanna stood quietly by the window. She wasn't sure if the view was real or just a magical illusion, but either way the sunset was beautiful. She breathed in the heavy summer air and watched the sky slowly get darker.

_I'll be turning sixteen in a few weeks. Then everything changes. I'll go back home, beat my sister, and save my friends. Then, maybe I'll come back here. For a visit, a short one..._

This year had been awful. She couldn't deny that it was the most terrifying, painful year of her life.

_But this makes it better. Days like this where things go right and everyone is safe. Days like this when even the death of the day is glorious._

It wasn't really death. It was a change. Things were changing; _she _was changing, but that was life. The fact that she was a member of the House of Death and witch in a strange world didn't really matter. She was alive, and for right now that had to be enough.

**Author's Note: I would like to thank everyone who has read this and put up with all my mistakes and inconsistancies. Hopefully, you'll see a sequel up some time soon, and I'd love to hear what all you expect in a sequel, or if there is anything that needs to be more clear. Again, thank you all so much. -Aubrieanna NeonBlack**


End file.
